


Welcome To Zero Gravity!

by JudeJube



Series: No Rest For the Wicked [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Depictions of Child Abuse, Guardian!Dipper, Guardian!Mabel, Human!Bill, Human!Will, Zero Gravity AU, lots of Guardian Characters, making this as canon to the AU as I can, trigger warning, will add more tags if necessary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-08-30 09:43:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 32,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8528284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JudeJube/pseuds/JudeJube
Summary: Twins Bill and William Cipher, seeking a better life, run away from their broken home. But when they stumble across a unique town called Zero Gravity, and a dusty old journal with more magic than they could ever imagine, will they get the change they so desire? and who are the Guardians the townsfolk keep mentioning?(alternatively: Tanosan96's Zero Gravity AU that doesn't have any fics and I need to contribute because it's AMAZING and click the link to find out more!)http://tanosan96.tumblr.com/post/149841490722/zero-gravity-au-offical-story-contents





	1. Intro

For a city that never seemed to sleep, it was quiet. Very quiet. Like the earth had stilled, everything calmed, the streets barren of everything except a light fog, lights out in nearly all the apartments and homes in the suburbs. Yes, everything seemed to be at peace.

 

For everyone except the Cipher twins.

 

In a dinghy apartment, a boy was hiding away in his room. Shoulders hunched and nose buried into his arm, he stared out the window with broken blue eyes, flinching occasionally when the shouting in the other room peaked. Gripping onto his sleeves tightly, he tried to block out the noise, dreaming of what it would be like to escape,to be free from the pain.

 

He didn't know how long he sat like that before he heard a large crash resonate through the place, and his door was flung open to reveal his brother, nose bloodied and a bruise forming on his left cheek. His twin kicked the door shut, pushing their dresser in front of it before storming over to his younger twin and sitting at the edge of his bed, glaring daggers down at the carpet. Neither spoke for several long moments before William sighed deeply, glancing at him. “W-what did he want this time…?” he asked quietly, and the blond across from him snorted in annoyance. “he thought we hid his alcohol.” he muttered.

 

William frowned, head tipping in confusion. “But..I thought you did?” he asked, which earned him a cocky smirk from his brother. 

 

“‘Course I did! Doesn't mean the asshole needs to know that though!” The meeker of the two frowned, a hand reaching up to comb through his blue bangs nervously. “..W-well are you okay, at least?” he studied the bruise forming on his Bill’s cheek, concerned for his brother’s well-being, but the blond simply shrugged, flopping back to lay down on the bed.  
“I'll be fine. It’s just swollen. It'll all be fine when we get the hell outta here when we're eighteen.” Will had heard that line more times than he could count, and each time they were spoken, the more defiant his brother’s tone would get.  
“if you say so..” he replied glumly, gaze returning to the window. To him, it seemed like an eternity away. Seeming to pick up on his sibling’s brooding, the blond nudged him, shooting him a reassuring grin when he glanced up.  
“Come on, Will, it’s not that far off. We just gotta be tough. Just think, if we can make it through this, we can make it through anything!” Will smiled shyly back at him, humming in agreement.  
“M-Maybe you’re thinking of yourself. You always take the brunt o-of it...All I do is hide behind you” he chuckled quietly. “At least I know you can tough it out.”  
“Heh, yeah well you’ve got smarts, you know? We’ve got that brains and brawn thing going for us. Bill and Will, unstoppable dynamic duo! Hell we could probably kick ass together!” he cheered, and Will managed to laugh.  
“But where would we go?” He asked, and his sibling shrugged.  
“Does it matter? Anywhere is better than here.”  
“I suppose that’s true. But what about school?”  
“What about it? Who needs school? We can work instead!”  
“I guess so..”  
“Don’t stress, Will. We’ve got plenty of time to work out the details.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Bill was in a better mood today.The past week had had a few rough patches, but after reassuring his twin and talking quietly between themselves until they fell asleep, it filled Bill with peace that only his sibling could give him. The blond was a rowdy and outspoken teen, arrogant and irritable, but his brother was quiet and timid, only ever really talking with his twin. It was a shame the blue-haired boy didn’t try to make friends, Bill had always thought. He was so smart and kind-hearted, but he supposed that’s the way Will would always be. He kept to himself, and if that was the way he liked it, then who was he to tell him to do otherwise?

Humming a pop song to himself, he tucked a bag of treats he’d bought at a convenience store in his bag, a surprise he intended to share with Will. Pulling out his keys he rounded the corner of the street, nodding in acknowledgement to the few people he passed as he entered the apartment building they resided in. Climbing the stairs, he swung the keys around his finger, excited to relax in bed and maybe convince his brother to help him with the homework he’d abandoned in favour of tutoring younger kids at school (ironic, he knew, the concept making him snicker). Finally reaching their apartment, he slipped the key in the lock and turned, opening up the door to let himself in. “Hey, I’m ho-”  
“AND I DON’T WANNA SEE YOUR ASS AGAIN TONIGHT, OR THERE’LL BE MORE HELL TO PAY, YOU GOT THAT YOU LITTLE SHIT?!” Bill’s heart sank, blood running cold as he noticed three things at once. One, his mother was actually home, and in her hand was a crumpled paper. A job application, it looked like. Two, his father was piss drunk and hollering, red in the face and looking like his blood pressure was sky-rocketing. And three, Will was pinned against the wall by him, lip split and a dark bruise forming on his cheek. His eyes were wet with unshed tears, trembling as he replied fearfully with a stammered “y-yes, I-I’m s-s-sorry..”

“Ah, Bill. You’re home. Where were you?” Bill tore his infuriated glare from the two to their mother.  
“Why does it matter? It’s not like either of you actually fucking care,” he snapped. Their father let go of the blue-haired teen, pointing a finger to the blond.  
“You’ll watch your fucking mouth, boy, or I’ll-”  
“Or you’ll what?” Bill dropped his bag to the ground and opened up his arms, challenging him. “You’ll beat me? Not like you haven’t done it a thousand times already!”  
“Is that any way to talk to your father?” Their mother snapped, scowling at her son irritably, but the blond simply barked out a laugh.  
“Father? That guy’s barely human, he’s more of a monster than anything else! And so are you. Come on Will. Let’s go to bed. We have school tomorrow.” He ignored the angry yelling from their parents as he snagged his bag, grabbing his sibling’s hand and dragging him to their room. Once again pushing the dresser to block their door, he tossed his bag onto his bed and pulled his blanket off. Wrapping it around his brother’s shoulders, he tousled his hair, taking note of Will’s panicked and erratic breathing and the sniffles and whimpers that would escape him ever so often. “Deep breaths bro, or you’re gonna hyperventilate,” he murmured. The blue-eyed boy merely shut his eyes, bumping his forehead against the blond’s.  
“I h-hate it here,” He whimpered, voice cracking as tears spilled down his cheeks. “I-I just thought I c-could get a p-part time job a-and he got so m-mad a-and I j-just-”

“Hey.” Bill interrupted firmly. “It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay, alright? I promise we’ll get through this.”  
“B-but how?” Came the broken response, and for once Bill had no answer. He didn’t know how, he just knew they had to.  
“...Because. We’re tough. We’ve made it this far, we can make it out of here.”  
“I h-hope so...I’m scared..”  
“I know bro. I know..”


	2. Into The Unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternatively: Bill and Will the Esteemed Chicken Breeders

The following few days were rough. Bill had insisted Will start waiting at school for him to finish tutoring, and when questioned the first time on their whereabouts Will had managed to convince their parents that they were required for practice in an upcoming school play. They didn't inquire about it after Bill had shown them the scripts he had stolen from the drama room.

 

Will didn't speak much after the incident, remaining silent and letting his twin speak for him at school. It aggravated the blond to see his brother like this, worn down and hopeless. He knew he could tough out their home life for a while, but Will...The blue-haired boy had always been more sensitive and anxious, and Bill knew he couldn't always be there to protect him. 

 

That thought scared him a lot more than he'd ever admit. 

 

The tutoring program didn't give him all that much to work with, and if he took up another job he wouldn't be able to be around to keep an eye on his brother and that wasn't an option for him. He did have an idea, however. He just needed to be patient.

 

It was a Thursday night. Will was sitting at the small kitchen table, pouring over his homework and chastising his brother when he'd try to copy his work. Their mother was out doing..business. Their father was drinking (Nothing new there, Bill thought to himself), grunting out answers to whatever game show he was absorbed in tonight. 

 

“Bill seriously, pay attention or you're going to flunk your class” Will mumbled, nudging his brother for what felt like the hundredth time in the past half hour. Bill smirked. 

 

“C’mon Will, you know I’m hopeless at math! Just gimme some triangles to work with or something!” Will frowned. 

 

“Geometry isn't the only kind of math out there. Now hurry up and solve the fraction. It's really not that hard, you're just converting them into mixed fractions and-”

 

“Yeah yeah cool but shush for a second.” That earned him an irritated sigh from Will. 

 

“Bill-”

 

“Seriously Will. Stop talking just for a sec, okay?” The blond murmured, and his brother paused, raising a brow in confusion as he tried to piece together what Bill was trying to accomplish. It dawned on him however, when Bill gestured to their father’s form, slumped over and snoring in his chair. 

 

Any tension in the blue-haired boy dissolved upon the discovery, and he relaxed against his chair, a sigh of relief escaping him. Bill grinned deviously, before making his way to the coffee table and snagging the sleeping man’s wallet, much to his twins’ dismay.

 

“Bill!” He hissed, shooting their father a nervous glance. “Bill if he wakes up-”

 

“He won't if you keep your voice down” Bill snapped quietly, silencing Will as he grabbed a debit card and put the wallet back. Shuffling quietly towards their room, he gestured for his brother to follow, who obeyed after a moment of hesitation. Once they were safely in their room Will rounded on his brother. 

 

“W-what on earth are you thinking Bill?! Do you know how angry he’ll be if he notices it's gone?? What do you even need it for?!” 

 

“Simple! I've got enough cash on me to see to it that we have some food money. But we need money for a couple bus tickets and I’ll put it back as soon as we order them! And I know mom’s got cash on her, we’d be set to at least get to a nearby town-”

 

“What?!” Came Will’s stunned reply. “Bro, you're going to steal money from our parents to run away?” 

 

“No, Willy, I’m gonna use it to mass order chickens online. What do you think? We’re getting outta here by Saturday.” The blond replied snarkily. “Now listen, here's the plan.”

 

The plan was a simple one. They stayed up until they heard their mother come home, making sure to inform her that they were to go to school Saturday morning for a rehearsal for their play. She barely acknowledged them, tidying up around the apartment until at last she roused her husband and brought him to bed with her. Once they waited to make sure they were asleep, the boys snuck out of the room to their mother’s computer, where Will quickly typed in the password (They were lucky Will was so observant, Bill had commented, making his sibling puff up a bit in pride) and searched the Internet for a bus departure. 

 

“What if we aimed for California? Nice sunny weather, cool celebrities. We could make a name for ourselves!” Bill whispered to his brother excitedly, but Will shook his head. 

 

“Too far, we should pick somewhere closer.” Bill pouted at that, frowning as they scrolled past different routes before he excitedly pointed to another destination. 

 

“Oh! Oh! What about here! That sounds neat!” 

 

“...Zero Gravity…?” Will squinted at the screen, trying to determine that the screen did, in fact, say that. “What a weird name for a town.”

 

“which is exactly why we should go! I’ve got a good feeling about this, come on Will, please?” The blond pouted at his twin, and the boy almost felt as if Bill were a child begging to go for a vacation. 

 

“Bill….you do know we’ll have to lay low right? Doesn't that sound a little, I dunno..  
Like the first place they'd look?” he reasoned, but Bill merely shook his head. “Who would wanna bother with a rinky-dink town?” He asked, and Will shook his head at his brother’s reasoning. “C’mon bro-bro, give it a chance. I've got a gut feeling. We have to go there.” His brow raised in questioning, but remained silent as he resolutely keyed in their father’s card information and purchased two greyhound tickets to Zero Gravity. 

 

“A-are you sure he won't notice the money is missing..?” he asked nervously, and Bill grinned. 

 

“Not ‘til he goes out for another beer run this weekend, and by then you and I will be long gone!” he replied cheerfully, smile devious.

 

“We better hope so...because if not you and I are really gonna be in trouble” the blue-haired boy mumbled. Bill merely shrugged, getting up and quietly returning everything to its rightful place.

 

The night passed by agonizingly slowly for the boys, and they hardly got any sleep. School the next day was no better. Bill was restless, and spent most of his classes gnawing on his pencil or tapping his feet, much to the annoyance of his teacher. Will kept zoning out, staring out the classroom window and letting his imagination wander. The rest of the day passed in a slow haze, neither could really recall what they learned in school and lunch period was spent eating in silence (Although in Will’s case he merely picked at his lunch). 

 

When the final bell rang, Bill booked it, heading straight for the front doors with his twin close behind. Once outside the boys hurried home, to a quiet dinner (their father seemed to be out for the night, and it seemed their mother had had a good day and barely spoke to the boys, aside from urging them to clean up after themselves when they were done). 

 

It was when they slipped into their room that the two finally spoke, talking in hushed voices as they each emptied their backpacks and packed them with essentials.   
“W-when are we supposed to leave tomorrow?” Will asked as he finished, deciding at the last minute to pack one of his favourite novels. 

 

“We gotta be at the bus station for eleven thirty, I think it leaves just after noon?” His brother replied.

 

“...Don't we need papers or something?” 

 

“Don't worry, Willy, I got us covered! There, done.” he snagged both of their bags, slipping them under their beds before plopping down on his own bed. William followed suit, curling up under his own blankets. His gut was twisting with nerves though, and sleep was hard to come by for him. 

 

Eventually he nodded off, only to be woken by his brother shaking him. Will groaned, earning a chuckle from Bill as they got up and prepared to leave. This was the tricky part.

 

When Bill was certain he could hear their mother in the shower, their father certainly still dead asleep, he snuck into their room, heart hammering in his chest as he found and rummaged through his mother's purse. Once he snagged what he deemed enough to get by, he slipped back out. But not before turning to flip off his sleeping father.

 

When he got to the front door Will was waiting, fidgeting nervously. 

 

“Hey, you ready to go?” Bill asked, and Will nodded.

 

“Yeah, I left the note on top of our dresser,” he murmured and Bill tousled his hair, grinning. 

 

“Then it's into the unknown, Oh brother o’ mine!” With that, the two walked out to the bus station, Without so much as a backwards glance to the home they'd grown to hate so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well! updates may be far more frequent than once a week. I discovered that the best time for me to write is on my way to and from work, as well as during my break and as I'm trying to fall asleep. I basically wrote this chapter last night for the most part, it's amazing how inspired I feel distracting myself from the work grind XD 
> 
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated! Hope you like this chapter! I'm thinking next chapter is when we start seeing more plot come into play, and finally, /finally/, they'll arrive in the town of Zero Gravity!


	3. The Discovery of the Shack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> beep bop boop :^)

William found himself staring out at the passing scenery with vague interest, head resting against the glass as his brother slumped against him, dead asleep and snoring loudly. At least one of them was able to get some rest.

 

The morning had been a blur of nerves and anxiety for the blue-haired teen. He kept picturing their mother and father storming into the bus depot to drag the boys back home, despite Bill’s attempts at reassuring him they wouldn't even think to look until well after noon passed. Still, it didn't stop Will from worrying.

 

He had also been surprised at how well prepared his twin had been. He'd discovered that the blond had managed to forge a note from their parents permitting them to leave, as well as gotten a hold of their identification papers. Clearly Bill had been wanting to leave for a long time. 

 

Will was also excited though, he couldn't deny it. Freedom was finally tangible, and the idea of going it alone, just him and his brother, filled him with eagerness. They could do as they please, no rules or restrictions, no spiteful broken family. It could be perfect. 

 

He blinked a bit, attention turning to his brother when the blond jolted back upright and stretched. The blond stared at Will for a moment, getting his bearings for a moment before speaking.

 

“When did we leave the city..?” He asked groggily, and Will glanced down to his watch.   
“About an hour ago? It should only be a few more hours til we get there, the town isn't that far from what I saw on the map,” he informed him, and Bill grunted in reply as he settled back into his chair. 

 

“We'll that's fine then. I was thinking we could get a motel when we get there, and then work out a game plan. You have copies of our resumes right?” Will nodded.

 

“In my bag, yeah.”

 

“Good. Top priority is finding a job and figuring out a way to get by til we get paid the first time.”

 

“Yeah...d-do you think we’ll be okay, Bill…?” The teen asked quietly, and his brother smiled at him reassuringly before patting his shoulder. 

 

“‘Course I do, you and I are unstoppable! We've got this,” he replied cheerfully, and Will couldn't help but smile back. 

 

“At least one of us is confident.” Bill laughed.

 

“Try it sometime bro-bro, it helps brighten your outlook on things. Anyways aren't you tired? You've barely slept at all. You should try to get some shut eye.”

 

“I’m okay,” Will replied, shaking his head. “I’m not too tired, and I'm enjoying the window view. I'll sleep when we get to town.” Bill shrugged.

 

“Suit yourself. I'm not giving you a piggyback to bed if you get too tired though!” 

 

“Obviously I don't expect you to, dummy,” Will shot back, and the blond just laughed.

 

“We'll at least you aren't having an anxiety attack! Seriously though, it's nice to see you crack a smile every so often” he smiled, which Will returned. 

 

“Thanks.” His gaze returned to the mirror. “I really hope this works out for us, you know..?” He sighed softly, grunting when he felt the weight of Bill leaning on him again.

 

“Yeah, I know. I think it will.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 

‘Approaching stop number three: Zero Gravity. Please wait until the bus has stopped completely. If you have bags that have been stowed away, please inform your driver and they will be happy to assist you. Thank you for choosing Greyhound, please enjoy your stay!’ 

“Bill,” Will murmured, shaking his brother’s shoulder, earning him a groan and an unintelligble mumble. “Bill, come on we’re here, we have to go.” That woke the blond a bit more. Rubbing his eyes groggily, he stretched, yawning loudly. 

“Mmm..yeah yeah ‘m up ‘m up,” He grumbled, getting up out of his seat and grabbing his bag, Will following suit. They quickly exited the bus, Will murmuring a quick thanks to the driver. As the bus drove off, the two took in their surroundings in awe.

It was so much different than the city. All around them, the town was surrounded by thick woods. The town itself was so small, Bill was sure he could wander around the whole thing in the span of less than an hour. Even the buildings were quaint, colours faded and signs weather-worn. The people were just as interesting to watch. People bustled about, some pausing in their day to greet each other, strangers and acquaintances alike. It seemed like it was a pretty close-knit community, the scene before them picturesque as if it was taken straight out of a travel guide.

They loved it.

Wandering about and talking quietly amongst themselves, they walked down the street ahead of them, peering into store windows to view their contents. After a while, they began to get hungry, and decided to stop to eat.

“I saw a diner up ahead, it’s worth a shot!” Bill exclaimed, arm looping around his twins’ shoulder as he dragged him to the building enthusiastically.Will glanced around nervously, self-conscious as he noticed some people staring. 

“B-Bill I think people are t-talking about us..” He stammered, eyes glued to the floor as he buried his nose into the hem of his sweater. Bill simply shrugged. 

“So? Let ‘em, we aren’t doing anything wrong.” With that he strode up to the counter. “Hiya! Need a menu here.”

 

“Please,” Will added hastily when his brother received a glare from the waitress.   
Once they'd taken a look at the menu and ordered the boys sat next to each other, making small talk amongst themselves. However once their food arrived the sat in comfortable silence, Bill digging into a lunch fit for two people and his brother neatly eating his own.

 

“Why’d you get chicken soup?” The blond asked. “it's so boring.”

 

“it's neater than whatever sandwich you just destroyed,” Will replied snippily, before yawning loudly. Bill chuckled. 

 

“We can find a cheap motel somewhere nearby,” Bill offered, and his brother nodded in agreement. 

 

“It'd be nice to get our bearings.”

 

Once they finished up and paid for their meal, the boys went back into town to hunt down a place to stay. It proved to be more difficult than they thought though, a day after nearly an hour of Wandering around the town they got no closer to finding a motel. In fact they seemed to be edging closer to the woods, and they bickered back and forth. 

 

“I told you we should've asked for directions!” 

 

“And I told you we don't need to! It can't be that damn hard to find a motel!”

 

“Clearly you've proven to us both that it is that hard,” Will bit back irritatedly, rubbing at his temples in an attempt to suppress an oncoming headache. “Let's just get back and ask for directions.”

 

“Uh, no? I don't need help from some petty humans, thank you very much.” he retorted, sticking his tongue out at his sibling. Will groaned and rolled his eyes.

“I knew it...This was a bad idea, we should’ve just waited, we should’ve saved up, thought this through more, I knew this wouldn’t work!” Will rambled, distraught over the situation, and his twin scowled at him. 

“Oh shut up Will! At least we’re out of that hellhole, you should be thankful ‘cause without me you wouldn’t have had the balls to leave!” He snapped back.

“Excuse me? Y-You’re the dummy that wanted to come to some h-hick town!” Will shot back angrily, pushing the blond, who growled. 

“Shut up!” He snarled, shoving at his sibling hard. Will let out a startled cry, tripping over his feet as he tried to right himself, instead falling over into a bush. He let out another cry, one of pain, when he fell into something hard and sharp, tumbling to the ground. Groaning, disheveled, he rubbed at his leg gingerly, wincing at the sight of the scrape on his knee, as his brother approached him. 

“Shit, Will I’m sorry I didn’t mean to- What is that?” Will furrowed his brow in confusion, following his brother’s gaze to the sign that lay broken beside him. 

“Property for sale,up ahead” He read aloud. Bill hummed in reply.

“Sounds neat, let’s go,” he muttered, offering a hand to his brother, who pushed him away.

“I’m still mad at you,” Will huffed under his breath, brushing himself off as he stood, and shuffled off, Bill following behind quietly. It didn't take long before the boys came across a clearing, in the center an impressive but rundown cabin. The windows were covered in a thick layer of grime, the front porch riddled with broken planks and a pillar that was rotted beyond repair. It almost gave off a rustic charm. Will wrinkled his nose, his twin whooped in excitement.

 

“Cool! Abandoned cabin in the woods!” He exclaimed eagerly, practically skipping into the building. Will followed close behind, being more cautious than his brother.

 

“A-are you sure it's safe in here?” he asked. Bill shrugged. 

 

“Who cares? It's cool, it's shelter, it's unused and it's free. Who cares?” Will frowned.

 

“I do, it's creepy. And really, really gross in here.”

 

“Again- free room and board. And look!” he pulled a sheet off of a mattress, grinning. “bedding! Just needs some TLC!” 

 

“Yeah, and neither of us are DIY experts, Bill.”

 

“Oh ye of little faith~” Bill sighed out, hand resting on his heart dramatically. “It'd can't be that difficult!”

 

“It'd better not be, I'm not breaking my back to fix something too broken.”

 

“Alright! Then just leave it to me!” and with that the blond rolled up his sleeves, a determined look on his face.

 

“Time to make this place shine!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo this chapter was extremely frustrating to write, seems too dialogue-heavy, but eh. still setting up for the plot! should be another few chapters before things get really going, just trying to finish the setup for now!  
> as always kudos are appreciated, and reading your comments gets me really hyped! thank you to everyone who did either or, it really lets me know how well liked it is and gives me a lot of motivation!
> 
> next chapter might take a day or two longer, we'll see how much writing time I get in!


	4. Hey There Kid!

“There!” Bill exclaimed, wiping at his face and letting out a groan as he stretched his aching his arms.

 

“I'm impressed,” Will piped up from his nest on the mattress. And he was. In the span of a couple hours, his brother had cleaned the entirety of the main entrance and what seemed to be the living room, going so far as to go into town to pick up non-perishables and cleaning supplies. They had had a quick meal, some takeout Bill had been craving, and then the blond had gone straight to work on the cabin. The house still had a lot of work to be done on it, but the bits and pieces that had been accomplished made it more warm and inviting. Bill had bought a few large camping lanterns, hanging them in the main living space and a small washroom just off of it, which had also been cleaned spotless. It seemed like the water lines still worked, providing them with plumbing, however electricity seemed to bring them no luck. Bill mentioned the possibility of a generator, and Will listened with disinterest as his brother rambled, deeming the house too much of a chore to stick around for very long. The blond would lose interest, realize it was a lost cause and move on. Until then he could do whatever he wanted to do. 

 

“it is pretty cozy,” Will piped in, and his twin practically glowed with excitement. 

 

“I know right?! Imagine what it'd look like with the power working?” 

 

“But Bill….We’re trespassing. We technically shouldn't even be here..” He trailed off with a loud yawn. “If we get settled in too much, people are gonna notice.”

“How? It’s wedged right into the woods, it’s far off enough from the town that it’s kinda secluded. I don’t see why anyone would want to come over here.”

“I don’t know...Do whatever you want then. Not like you ever listen to me anyway,” Will mumbled to himself, and Bill stuck his tongue out at him.

“Fine then, I will.” With that, the blond shuffled away, presumably to clean something else. Will sighed, settling back down onto the mattress with a grumpy grunt. He closed his eyes for what seemed like mere minutes before he was shaken awake by his twin. 

“What?” He snapped at his brother, scowling groggily up at him. His brother rolled his eyes. 

“Bro, you slept for a couple hours. It’s getting dark out, and I brought food. Stop being such a grouch.” Will huffed in annoyance. 

“I’m grumpy ‘cause I’m tired.”

“Mhm. Eat first, sleep later,” Came Bill’s own snarky response, tossing the bag of food at his brother, who fumbled to catch it. “Got you a nice veggie wrap thing, or whatever gross stuff it is you like.”

“Thanks,” The blue-haired teen replied, digging into his food wholeheartedly as his brother went straight back to cleaning. 

It took a few more hours before the entire main floor was (mostly) spotless, and by then the blond was worn out and didn’t even want to think about starting on the upstairs. He’d managed to clean some old furniture that still remained; a few quilts, a tattered old couch and a few chairs. A coffee table he’d pulled to the ‘dining room’ served as their table, some worn but still plush cushions surrounded it to serve as chairs (The Japanese did it, he reasoned when Will questioned him, so why couldn’t they try it?). Despite being the biggest slob Will knew, it seemed his brother was having the time of his life cleaning the shack. Seemed like it was because he had control over how the rooms looked. Will helped out when needed, dragging furniture where his twin instructed him to and cleaning out the windows. Once it was to the blond’s standards, the two relaxed, and Will had to admit, the place was already emitting a more...homey feeling than their run down apartment back in the city. Will didn't dislike it. In that moment, fortune seemed to be on their side. 

 

Unfortunately, the peace and simplistic lifestyle didn't last longer than that first week. They had been as smart as they could be with their money, unfortunately there was only so much they could do. They’d bought enough groceries to last them a while, if they were careful, and they had been applying for jobs all over the town, however it seemed their sudden appearance and secretiveness had caused a certain level of distrust towards them, and they hadn’t heard back from anyone days after. Bill was getting antsy with concern, as he started to realize things were going south quickly. The brothers bickered a lot as a way to rid themselves of their frustrations, and Will found himself wandering through the woods to cool off frequently during the day. Bill took out his aggressions through cleaning the house. 

 

The day the boys ran out of money was the day they had their worst fight. 

 

“So,” Bill had begun, as casually as he could. “We’re running low on groceries.” Will raised a brow, shooting his brother an unamused stare. 

 

“So?” he asked. “Just go into town and get some more.”

 

“That's the problem, bro-bro!” The blond replied. “We uh...don't exactly...have any money.” 

 

“W-What?!”

“Well, we both knew it wasn’t gonna last forever, Will,” Bill explained meekly, and his twin threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. 

“Why didn’t you tell me before we ran out?!” Will spat, furious with the situation. Bill shrugged.

“Because I knew you’d just tell me I was doing something wrong or whatever. I don’t know.”

“Well now what are we going to do?” Will demanded, arms crossing. “Technically we’re homeless and trespassing, we now have no money, no source of income and no way out of this mess. And I am not crawling back home to those….th-those...parental units.”

“Whoa, chill out, man. I never said we had to go back!” Bill replied, trying to placate his seething twin. “We just need to get more...creative, okay? We both know I’m sneaky enough to snag a few things in town-”

“You mean steal?” Will interjected, glaring at his sibling hard, who grinned back meekly and shrugged. “No, absolutely not. Besides you’re a walking pylon cone, anyone could spot you a mile away.”

“Fine~!” Bill sighed loudly, plopping himself down on the couch dramatically. “I guess we’ll just starve until we figure something out!” Will rolled his eyes. 

“Well, let’s hope someone answers our applications soon. Who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky?” Will piped up hopefully, and Bill hummed in agreement. 

 

They didn’t get replies to their resumes the next day. Or the day after that. Or the few days after that. 

 

As yet another week dragged on, the boys grew increasingly worried over the situation. Their food supply could only last them another day, two at best if they barely ate, and they had absolutely no hope of surviving. Both boys had terrible survival skills, so even whatever the forest had to offer was wasted on the two. Will grew increasingly worried and moody, Bill now showing signs of being distraught over the situation. 

After a particularly stressful day, Will stormed out of the shack, tired of listening to his brother complain about how hungry he was. Burying his nose in the hem of his sweater, he trudged through the forest, absentmindedly kicking at rocks and twigs littering the ground. He was so lost in thought, he didn’t realize he was off track of his usual path. When he finally did lift his head, he realized he was terribly lost, no longer able to see the lights of the cabin. Becoming worried, he gripped the edge of his sweater nervously. His anxiety only heightened when he realized he could hear the sound of twigs snapping; footsteps. And it sounded like they were getting closer. Swallowing hard, he called out. 

“B-Bill? Is that you?” He inquired, noticing a pause in the steps. He bit at his lip, his grip on his sweater tightening as he tried to contain his nerves. 

“Bill, th-that isn’t funny, come on out.” Still no reply. Will found himself glancing around, trying to find any hint as to which direction he’d come from. Nothing. He was well and truly lost. He could feel tears prick at his eyes as he started to panic, breathing hard as the footsteps neared again. 

“S-Stay away!” He cried out fearfully, backing up even farther and letting out a squeak as he noticed a figure stand from the brush. It was far too tall to be his brother. “I-I mean it, I d-don’t want any t-trouble!” The figure remained silent, ignoring his pleas as it continued to approach. 

‘This is it,’ Will thought to himself, eyes shutting tightly as he let out a sniffle. ‘I’m going to be murdered in a forest and no one will know.’ 

 

It felt like an eternity passed, each second more nerve-wracking than the last, and eventually Will found the courage to sneak a peak.

He was staring up at a girl. She was extraordinary. Her red hair was long and unkempt, skin fair with freckles adorning her face. Tall, standing proud, she was beautiful, in all sense of the word, but that wasn’t what stood out to Will the most. What caught the teen’s attention was how she was dressed. He didn’t know if it was a costume, or maybe she was part of some tribe long lost to civilization (in this era, he doubted that), but she was dressed in fur, what looked like paint decorating her face. She wore no shoes, and an animal head rested on her head, horns completing the look. She had an energetic gleam to her eye, clouded over by curiosity, and she was smiling broadly at the blue-haired boy. He must have been staring for too long, for she backed up a few steps, offering a hand to him. Will accepted, letting her help him to his feet (he didn’t even realize he’d fallen in his panic), and he thanked her quietly. She smiled wider, and rested a heavy and intricately decorated axe on her shoulder, which he hadn’t noticed until now. His fear returned, and he backed up a couple steps from her. Quickly realizing the boy was afraid of her, she brought her hands up, as if to assure him she’d do him no harm. And then she spoke. 

“Hey there, kid! Don’t look so petrified, I’m not gonna hurt you! The opposite, in fact. I’m here to help you. I could feel your distress,” She said, and Will stared at her. 

“W-what do you mean, y-you can feel it?” He asked shyly, and she laughed. 

“Guess I kinda got ahead of myself, huh? My name is Wendy, i’m the spirit of the forest.” She rested her hands on her hips proudly. “And a little birdy told me, that a couple of kids holed up nearby needed some help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QAQ this chapter was horrible to write. I am so sorry for the extensive delay, I just could not write this in a way that I liked. The next chapter will definitely be out sooner than this one was. I'm thinking my update schedule will be once a week now, max two weeks if it's a bigger chapter. I don't have a set day of the week decided yet but I think I can maintain it. Hope you enjoy this crappy chapter!


	5. Wendy, Spaghetti, And Will's Perspective...etti?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this one is in Will's POV. Next chapter will have Bill's POV for the day :^)

Will’s mind was racing. 

 

“...S-spirit of the f-forest..?” He inquired, brows furrowing at the title. “..Is this for like...A production or a movie or something..?” The redhead laughed. 

 

“Nah, nothing like that!” she replied cheerfully, twirling her axe absent-mindedly. “You seem new around here, so I don't expect you to get it yet. This town is weird, lots of creepy stuff happens. Magic stuff, if we're gonna be honest here.” Will had to wonder if this was a dream. Some tribal looking girl emerges from the forest, alone, claiming she's a spirit and that magic is real? The only thing that seemed real was himself and that axe. He went along, trying to keep a cynical tone out of his voice. 

 

“Ah...R-really? Magic?” he asked, feigning complacency, and she hummed in acknowledgement. 

 

“Yep! Like I said I don't expect you to believe me. But give it, like, a month and you'll see what I mean. Now! Wanna tell me what's going on with you?” The teen cocked his head to the side, confusion clear on his face.

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

“I mean, clearly you're lost, and I don't recognize you. And you were practically oozing worry earlier. Something’s bugging you, right?” 

 

“How did you…?”

 

“Spirit of the forest. Remember? That means animals plants, et cetera, et cetera. I can...kind of sense stuff like that. Don't ask.”

 

“O-oh..” Will fidgeted for a moment, before sighing in defeat. “Well... My brother and I just um...moved here from a nearby city, and um….We’re kind of living in an abandoned shack and we don't have jobs yet so we ran out of money, and I just don't know what to do.” He explained in a rush, tripping over his words, and Wendy stared. 

 

“...Well, gotta give you two props!” The redhead began, toying with her axe once more. “Sounds like it's been pretty tough. How old are you? Twelve? Thirteen?”

 

“Fifteen,” the blue-haired boy huffed, a frown settling on his face. “if you saw my twin you'd see. I was cursed with a baby face.” Wendy chuckled. 

 

“So you've got a twin, huh?” she asked in amusement. “I know a couple of twins personally. Does your brother have blue hair, too? Or maybe it's red to tell you guys apart?” 

 

“Blond, actually. He's got a weird obsession with yellow, in all honesty.” The teen was beginning to feel more at ease. Clearly if the girl had meant any harm she'd have done something by now, and he wasn't as nervous or shy talking to her. She seemed down to earth, and kind of cool. He was proud of himself for not needing his brother around to talk to her for him. 

 

“Weird. But neat. Anyway, you're probably dying to get back home, so how's about I lead the way, hmm?” She offered, and Will nodded. 

 

“That would be awesome. Thank you,” he said gratefully, and followed her as she lead him back to the direction of the cabin. It was quiet in the forest, the only noises were the crickets chirping and the faint sound of an owl. It was tranquil, which explained why Will loved his walks through the vegetation. It helped calm his nerves, and gave him peace of mind, even now. He snuck a quick glance at the redhead once more. He was still having a hard time believing what she'd said about magic. It was weird, and kind of illogical in his opinion to believe in such things, but he supposed to each his own. 

 

A few more moments passed, and he was brought out of his thoughts when Wendy stopped and gestured in front of her. 

 

“Here we are!” She announced with a flourish, and Will glanced up to see that they were indeed home. He smiled at her, thanking her again, and she shrugged. 

 

“It's no problem, really! What's your name, by the way?”

 

“Um.. William Cipher, but everyone calls me Will.”

 

“Alright then, Will! Can you meet me by the edge of the woods tomorrow night?” Will blinked, brows furrowing in confusion. 

 

“Why?”

 

“Got some tips I can give you to help you and your brother.” With that she spun on her heel, walking back into the woods and waving at him over her shoulder. “Don't forget!” 

 

The teen waved back absent-mindedly before heading inside, mulling over what she'd told him. He was brought out of his thoughts by something ramming into him full force, and with a yelp they tumbled to the ground. Dizzily he glanced up to see that it was his twin that'd tackled him, and he was grinning maniacally. 

 

“Hey there Bro! Jeez, I thought you weren't gonna come back for a while there! Glad you did.” Will simply grunted, pushing his brother off of him and brushing himself off. 

 

“I thought you'd be glad to have the place to yourself,” he mumbled, and Bill shook his head. 

 

“Nah, it gets too quiet. Well I mean you're already pretty quiet but it's nice having the company I guess. Anyway, where were you?” Will paused, silent for a moment as he mulled it over. 

 

“Just out for a walk, I got lost but was able to figure it out eventually,” he lied. He didn't want to tell him about Wendy, not when he was worried she'd just been a figment of his own imagination. “What did you do while I was gone?” At that, Bill flashed him a devious smirk. 

 

“Oh, nowhere. Just out and about. I picked up some food too.” Will stared at him incredulously. 

 

“I thought you said we were broke?” He inquired, and his twin shrugged. 

 

“We are. I just got lucky and found some cash on the ground, so I figured hey, let's use it for food!”

 

“...oh.” Was all the blue-haired teen could muster in response. “...Does that mean you made dinner?” he asked, and his twin nodded. 

 

“Yep! Just spaghetti, nothing fancy,” Bill replied, stepping back into the kitchen. “It'll actually be done within the hour, so...yeah, go do your own thing, I guess. I'll call you over when it's done.” Will grunted in reply, before padding over to where the couch was. Snagging his backpack, he pulled out the book he'd packed, making himself comfortable and turning the worn pages. He’d read the novel countless times, but he never tired of it. He'd always been teased for falling in love with the story of the Secret Garden, but at the end of the day he couldn't bring himself to really care. It was a classic tale, and the mixture of nature, faith and a bit of ‘magic’ always managed to help him pass countless hours in his own little world. He managed to get Wendy out of his mind, as well as how hungry he was for a while, and before he knew it his brother was hollering for him to come to dinner. Folding the corner of the page, he tucked the worn book safely back into his bag, and shuffled into the kitchen. 

 

“That smells awesome, Bill,” the teen murmured, sitting at their makeshift table and digging into the food set in front of him. His twin hummed in reply, finishing cleaning up before sitting down across from Will, immediately devouring the food. They sat in comfortable silence as they enjoyed the meal, and Will had to admit his brother was pretty good at cooking, which was more than what he could say for himself. 

 

Once they finished off their food, the boys went off to do their own thing. Bill had brought along a handheld game device from home, and he spent his time absorbed in that, sprawled out on the couch and occasionally swearing over whatever he'd messed up on. Will slipped into his sweats and a pajama shirt, making himself comfortable on the bed and taking out his book to read once more. Eventually his eyes grew heavy, and before he knew it was happening, he fell asleep mid-page. Bill remained awake for quite some time, before he too became too drowsy to concentrate on his game. Quietly, he set his brother’s book aside, grabbing the blanket and pulling it over him, before grabbing a quilt and making himself comfortable on the couch once more. He was soon lulled to sleep by his twin’s slow breathing. 

 

“‘Night, bro-bro.” He mumbled, before passing out himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wellp! hope you enjoyed this chapter! This 'day' is going to be rewritten in the next chapter, but in Bill's point of view. As always, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated! And from now on, so you don't have to play the guessing game, next chapter updates will be posted right here in the end notes!


	6. Bill, Bills, and A Journal in the Attic

Bill waited patiently, expression unreadable as he waited for his brother to leave for what he assumed was another walk. He knew he tended to spend an hour outside, and this knew his window of time would be small. Oh well, it's not like he hadn't managed to sneak out undetected before. Just a quick trip to town and he'd be back before he knew it. No one would be the wiser. 

 

Once his twin had shuffled moodily out of the house, Bill quickly slipped on his shoes, exiting the building from what seemed to be a separate segment of the cabin. Quietly shutting the door, he made his way to town quickly. When he made it, he was pleased to see a few townsfolk out, though not nearly as many as there were around midday. It'd been smart of him to leave close to dusk. Whistling a tune to himself, he walked along the pavement, studying passersby. He was looking for an unsuspecting victim, an easy target. He knew Will would hate it if he knew Bill was trying to pickpocket but at this point he had no choice. With no job, no money, and no food, what else was he to do? And in his opinion if someone was walking around with excessive amounts of cash in their wallet, well, that was their own foolishness. In this world, Bill’s motto was ‘Trust no one,’ and he himself was included in that philosophy. He didn't mind bending the rules if it meant living another day. Survival of the fittest, and all that.

 

The blond perked up when he caught the sound of a pocket jingling. Scanning the street casually, he took notice of an older lady, who seemed clueless enough. She had this airheadedness to her, her grey hair done up in some surely outdated fashion, wearing what seemed to be a worn out diner uniform. Bill noticed one eye seemed to remain closed, and she was done up in what the blond deemed to be a tacky makeup job.

 

She didn't seem to be in too much hurry, though she walked with purpose. Probably heading home after a long day of work. Perfect. 

 

When Bill saw her rummage through her purse (she had these bright red nails that reminded him of animal claws) he smirked, realizing it was the perfect time to strike. Quickly and quietly he approached her from behind, before pretending to stumble into her. He had to cover his laughter with a cough as he watched her stumble with a surprised “Oh!”, her purse falling to the ground, its contents scattering on the pavement. Feigning concern, he apologized profusely and knelt beside her, helping her pick up her belongings. 

 

“I'm so sorry, Ma’am, I really am too klutzy,” he was saying, and the woman brushed it off easily.

 

“No need to be sorry, young man!” she replied cheerfully, though she spoke slowly, her voice nasally. “everyone makes mistakes all the time! Oh, where did that coin purse go?”

 

“I think it fell behind the garbage can there?” Bill informed her, and she quickly shuffled over to check. The second her back was turned Bill sprung into action. Quickly locating her wallet, he snagged a few bills. Stuffing them into his shorts pockets he returned the wallet to her purse and plastered his best timid smile on his face when she turned back to him. 

 

“I was wrong, it was actually here, I've already tucked it into your purse for you. Everything's back in, actually.’’ 

 

“Why, thank you young man! You know, it's so hard to find some honest, kind teens running around! Here, have a candy!” she passed him a wrapped candy she'd picked up from her purse and flashed him another big grin. “As a thank you, if you swing by Greasy’s Diner just down the road, you can grab yourself some grub, on the house!” 

 

After Bill had thanked her, smiling as he'd waved back to her with the promise to stop by soon, he quickly took off. Grabbing the crumpled bills, he looked them over to determine how much he'd gotten. Forty five dollars. “Not bad,” he muttered to himself. Slipping into the convenience store he grabbed a handful of groceries for dinner, pocketing the remaining cash before heading home. He checked the rooms to ensure Will hadn't returned yet, sighing in relief when he realized he was still by himself. After he'd put away some of the groceries and started dinner, he decided it couldn't hurt to scope out the top floor of the house for a few minutes. 

 

He scanned each room briefly, nose wrinkling as he fought off a sneeze. Everything was dusty, though he noticed an actual bed was tucked away in one of them. He made a mental note to clean it up so they could use it. The other rooms were barren for the most part, and when he came across yet another set of stairs he paused. 

 

Curiosity got the better of the blond, and he climbed the steps. When he reached the top, he was surprised to see it was an attic, and the space was much more well-kept than the other floor was. He was also surprised to find that there were a number of boxes. Perhaps some old junk the former owners felt they didn't need to take with them? Padding over to a pile, he began to eagerly sift through the boxes. 

 

There wasn't too much to find. He discovered most of it was just old cleaning supplies, probably by whoever had been trying to sell the place before, some spiders, and random pens scattered about. As he rummaged through the boxes he hit the edge of a box, finding his footing again as the box fell to the floor with a loud thud, its contents spilling everywhere. Grumbling irritated cursed to himself, he began to clean up the mess when he noticed something peculiar. Beneath a few boxes of mothballs, he found a book. It looked thick, heavy and old, coated in dust and tears in the cover. Curious, the blond picked it up, coughing as he brushed off the dust from the cover. No title was on it that Bill could see, a simple deep red book with a gold, six-fingered hand embedded on it and the number three written in it. Padding over to the ledge, he sat down and began to skim through it. 

 

His eyes widened in astonishment when he realized it wasn't a book, but in fact a journal. A journal about the supernatural. In it was page upon page of information on different creatures. Something called a Gobblewonker, eyeball bats, so much more. He paused however, when he got to a certain page. 

 

“‘My muse was a monster’?” The blond read aloud, frowning a bit as he scanned the chaotic pages. It seemed as if someone had gotten in touch with something powerful, and dangerous. But it could just as easily be fiction, something that was made up. But judging by the way someone wrote about these creatures so enthusiastically, Bill had to find out for himself. 

 

The blond jumped when he heard the door open downstairs. Hastily shoving the book back into the box, he bolted downstairs, colliding into his brother hard. Plastering his biggest smile on his face when Will glanced up, he hugged him. “Hey there bro! Jeez, I thought you weren’t gonna come back for a while there! Glad you did.” He received a grunt from his brother as he got up.

“I thought you’d be glad to have the place to yourself.”

“Nah, it gets too quiet. Well I mean you’re already pretty quiet but it’s nice having the company I guess. Anyway, where were you?”He asked, noticing his brother’s disheveled appearance. When Will hesitated, the blond narrowed his eyes.

“Just out for a walk, I got lost but I figured it out eventually.” He looked so guilty. Bill knew he was lying, his twin had always been terrible at lying. But he didn’t comment. “What did you do while I was gone?” At that, Bill played it cool, smirking at him. 

“Oh, nowhere. Just out and about. Picked up some food too,” He replied smoothly. If Will was going to keep a secret, then he would keep the book a secret. Well, that and the stealing. Definitely the stealing. He noticed the confusion on his brother’s face.

“I thought you said we were broke?”

“We are. I just got lucky and found some cash on the ground, so I figured hey, let’s use it for food!”

“...oh. Does that mean you made dinner?” Will asked, and Bill nodded.

“Yep! Just spaghetti, nothing fancy. It’ll actually be done within the hour, so..yeah, go do your own thing, I guess. I’ll call you over when it’s done.” With that he returned to the kitchen, mulling over the evening’s events as he cooked.

The rest of the evening passed by peacefully. They enjoyed their meal together, and once they were full the blond cleaned up, before joining his brother in the living room. Pulling out a handheld game device he’d brought from home, he began to play, throwing out a curse here and there when he died. He could tell his brother passed out after a while when he heard his breathing slow, and soon after he himself became too drowsy to continue playing his game. With a yawn he pulled the blanket over his brother, setting aside his book. Grabbing a blanket for himself, he got comfortable on the couch, muttering a quiet “Night, bro-bro” before he himself passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyo! early update for you all! hope you enjoy, I'm just trying to get things moving still, but I promise it'll take like...one more chapter before stuff really starts getting good. thanks for sticking around! As always, kudos and comments really make my day! have a good one! Also if you'd like to follow me on tumblr, i'll post sneak peeks, updates, and a link to the fic immediately after I post a new chapter, as well as art i draw, perhaps of the fic and my own art cause drawing is fun.  
> here i am: http://judejubecubed.tumblr.com/
> 
> Next Update: December 13th.


	7. Exploring Secrets, Part One

Bill could hardly contain his impatience. He was itching to go back up to the attic, to search through the book more, but he didn't want Will to know about it just yet. He wanted to be able to have a secret, all to himself, just this once. And he already knew what his brother would say, that it's just fiction, and that Bill should focus on more important things. 

Bill had always had a vivid imagination as a kid, and when they were young Will had joined in on his brother’s ghost hunts and quests for monsters. However as the two grew older, and their home life became darker, Will had dropped the past time, calling his twin foolish for believing in such things and finding solace in his novels. In the blond’s opinion, as he'd pointed out to Will many times, he was doing the exact same thing as his brother, just in his own weird way. It didn't matter if kids thought he was weird for hanging on to his childish whims, he'd do what he wanted when he wanted, and screw anyone who thought bad of him. In his mind they were just meaningless fleshbags anyways, people he'd forget about and never cared about to begin with. 

That's why the book was constantly on his mind that morning. It gave him hope that things he'd seen, things he'd heard, we're true, not some stupid story, it gave him a chance to prove he wasn't as crazy as everyone thought he was.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he realized his brother was staring at him, silent with a irritated look on his face.

“What?” He asked, speaking around a mouthful of Poptarts and grinning when he caught his twin cringe at the action.

“I was trying to say that I'm going to go out for another walk later, before dinner probably,” Will explained. “I want to get to know my way around the forest, get out of this shack more.” Bill simply shrugged, though internally he was ecstatic to have the house to himself.

“Do whatever you wanna do, Brosky. I'll probably just play a game or something,” he replied nonchalantly, raising a brow when his brother’s tense posture relaxed. 

“O-okay. I shouldn't be out too late, I'll probably be back before dark,” Will explained, flashing the blond a small smile. Bill grinned back.

“Yeah, sure. Just don't get lost again!”

“I won't,” Will insisted, rolling his eyes before he got up. “I'm gonna go read again. I'm bored.”

“Alright,” Bill replied over his shoulder as his brother walked by. “I'll...entertain myself somehow, I guess.”

“Sounds good! Will called out, flopping on the couch with a grunt and pulling out his book. Bill in the meantime, decided he'd pass the time by going into town. After informing his brother, the blond slipped out of the house, quickly making his way to the main street of town. He wasted time window shopping, stopping to step into a neat little store crammed with what looked like antiques. He took the time to inspect everything, admiring some that seemed to be mechanical contraptions, though what they were or what purpose they served, he had no clue.He was pretty fascinated however, when he came across a set of books. Recalling the money he had left, he shuffled towards the shelf, skimming the titles to see if there was anything that would interest Will. He was, however, surprised to find that the books there weren’t fictional or old classics, but instead informative. Picking one on a whim, he opened it up, and scanned the title.   
“‘Guide to The Guardians of Zero Gravity’?” He read aloud, brows furrowing as he skimmed the pages. 

“Quite a fascinatin’ read, I must say,!” Bill jumped, letting out a startled yelp. Hearing laughter behind him, he whirled around on his heel, to see...a kid, younger than himself and definitely shorter, dressed extravagantly from head to toe. Everything about the boy screamed wealth, from the neatly ironed baby suit he wore to the peacock feathered cape that draped off his shoulders and trailed the ground. 

“Well, see if I’d known it was formal wear, I would’ve brought my Sunday best,” Bill retorted, and watched as the white haired boy just let out a chortle. “Anyway, where do you get off on scaring the hell out of people, huh?”

“Not my fault you weren’t payin’ attention there, friend!” The boy replied cheerfully with a deep southern twang, seemingly unfazed by Bill’s snarky tone. “Allow me to introduce myself, My name is Gideon Gleeful, and I actually help keep this ol’ place runnin’ smoothly. And who might you be, stranger?”

“My name is Nunya. Nunya Business,” the blond replied, and he almost cackled at the brief flicker of irritation on the smaller boy’s face. “Anywho, what are these books about?” At the change of topic Gideon seemed to cheer up a bit, readjusting his posture. 

“Why, that there is an informative guideline my own father wrote up! It’s moreso a pamphlet of sorts, for those who wish to know who it is that keeps our lil’ old town runnin’ smoother than a baby’s bottom.” Bill nearly cringed at Gideon’s speech, not really a fan of the way southerners spoke. 

“That’s uh…pretty cool, are they some kind of special police force or..?” 

“Oh, goodness no! Here, instead of me explainin’ it all to you and wastin’ your time, why don’t you go ahead and give that there book a read? I expect it returned to me if you plan on takin’ it home, though! I don’t take lightly to pickpockets.” That last line struck a chord with Bill, who noticed the emphasis he’d put on that last bit. However he remained unfazed, flashing the younger boy the most broad and unsettling grin he could muster. 

“Sure thing, kid!” His sneer widened at the way Gideon seemed to dislike being referred to like that. “I’ll probably pop in sometime later this week to bring it back. Hopefully in the same condition as before. No promises though!” With that, the blond booked it out of the shop. Deciding he’d wasted enough time, and that some of the townsfolk creeped him out, he headed back to the shack. Pulling out the novel, he skimmed the pages, brows furrowing at the odd symbols and drawings in it. Frowning, he decided he’d leave the book to his brother to interpret. He had his own mystery to solve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I completely gave up on this chapter, it's short and I'm sorry. HOWEVER i was struck by an idea while I was working, and I now know what i'm doing with this fic and where I want to go. As a result of feeling like i'm rushing my chapters however, certain big events are being spread across a few chapters, so unfortunately no guardian appearances next chapter. however I promise that will be coming soon!!! I promise!
> 
> want to stay updated? catch occasional sneak peeks into upcoming chapters, as well as fanart or original art from me? follow me on tumplr! at  
>  http://judejubecubed.tumblr.com/
> 
> and hey! if you want to shoot me a message, or ideas, or art, anything really! hit me up on my tumblr! I really want to see the Zero Gravity AUgrow, because it definitely deserves a lot of love, as well as the creator Tanosan96! once again, Kudos and comments are always appreciated! thanks, and until next time!
> 
> next update: December 24th


	8. Exploring Secrets, Part Two

“Will I’m back! And I’ve brought you a present!” The blond announced as he entered the cabin, kicking his shoes off at the door before sliding on the floor in his socks. His brother glanced up from his spot on the couch, looking comfy with the blanket draped around his shoulders. 

“What’s it about?” The blue-haired boy asked, studying the cover once his brother passed it to him.

“Dunno, some religious mumbo jumbo, or something like that,” Bill replied carelessly, grabbing his game device from his bag and loading his game as he plopped down on the couch next to his twin. “Met some weird albino kid in the most over the top fancy costume I’ve ever seen, too. Seemed like a snobby rich kid. His last name is Gleeful, how stupid is that?” Will rolled his eyes as he continued to scrutinize the new novel. 

“About as stupid as having Cipher for a last name,” He rebuked, earning a snicker from his brother. “This book is weird. It’s like it’s from a cult worshipping or something. Do the townsfolk here believe in multiple gods?”

“Who knows, and who really cares?” Bill hummed, biting at his lip as he concentrated on his game. “The Greeks did it, why can’t they?”

“I didn’t say they couldn’t, just that it’s weird. This whole town is weird,” Will shot back, mind trailing off to recall his encounter with Wendy. “Do you think it’s some kind of dark stuff?”

“What? Like the so-called Satanists from school? Hell nah,” The blond retorted. “Whatever these guys are into, it’s probably harmless. Just go along with it, or whatever. I talked to a lady the other day, Maybe I can ask her about the town and all that weird junk.” His twin shrugged, brows furrowing as he started to read. The longer he did, however, the stranger it got. 

‘Zero Gravity town, home to a vast and dense forest, a multitude of wildlife both supernatural and not, and the Guardians that protect it, is a destination hotspot for tourists across the country. Whether it’s just a day trip or a weekend out of town, Zero Gravity has any amendments you may need while still holding it’s rustic charm!’ Will sighed deeply as he continued to read the rather bland material. It went on to discuss all the different things the town provides to maintain the public interest, and then it was page upon page on information of the Guardians. 

Apparently they weren’t worshipped as deities, however they were revered for their role in keeping the town protected. There were twelve in total, a few more prominent than others. Apparently two of them were in control of maintaining world balance, one of the matters of the mind and the other on the matters of the heart. Twins, it said. That really peaked Will’s interest. However before he could read any more on them, his twin interrupted him. 

“Do you still need to go out? The day’s dragging on, Bro-bro,” The blond informed him, and Will nodded, setting the book aside. It’s not like he couldn’t ask Wendy about it when he saw her. 

“Yeah. I shouldn’t be gone for super long, maybe an hour or two.” With that he got up, heading to the door and slipping his sneakers on. “Don't have too much fun without me,” he added, smiling a bit at his brother's snorting. 

“What? With all these people here?” he replied sarcastically, hand waving around to emphasize the lack of people. “No promises.”  
Will chuckled quietly to himself, waving to his twin before heading out. As he began to head to the treeline, he took in the beautiful scenery before him.

The trees were illuminated by a faint golden pink glow, which emanated from the sky, the sun beginning to dip low on the horizon. His smile broadened when he heard birds chirping, feeling his nerves ease as he continued on his trek. 

Finally, he made it to the spot where he and Wendy had parted ways. Sitting on a log, he watched the trees and waited. 

It felt like forever, before he heard footsteps. Standing up, he brushed himself off. Not long after, Wendy came into view, axe over her shoulder, waving at him with her free hand. Will smiled timidly, waving back. 

“H-Hello, Wendy. It’s nice to know I didn’t imagine meeting you,” He said, and the redhead chuckled. 

“Nope! I’m definitely not your invisible friend, or anything. Anyway, ready to get going?”

“Going? Where?” He asked curiously. Wendy grinned. 

“Into the forest, dude! I gotta show you a few tips, might help you and your brother out when you’re in a rut.” She took his hand, eagerly leading him into the woods. Will remained quiet, following with her fast pace, and took in his surroundings, attempting to keep track of where they were in case he needed to get back on his own. After a little while, They stopped, Wendy turning to face the teen. 

“Alright! I’m gonna show you some basic survival tricks! If you pay attention, it shouldn’t take too long for you to get the hang of it. And you seem like a smart kid so, bonus?” Will smiled, and Wendy grinned back before urging him to listen to her.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

“I didn’t know there were so many different kinds of edible plants in the forest,”Will admitted as he picked some blueberries they’d found. Wendy smiled, helping him out, and on occasion stealing a few to pop in her mouth.

“Yep! There’s so much more wildlife in here to see than just the wolves and basic animals, I’ll have to give you a grand tour sometime!” Will chuckled a bit. 

“It’s...nice to have someone else to talk to. It’s just me and my brother, It gets kind of lonely at times,” Will murmured. 

“Well, glad I could be of service! If there’s anything you need, just holler for me. I will hear, And i’ll come, okay?” Will nodded, before remembering something. 

“Actually, I was hoping you could answer a question of mine, if that’s okay.”

“Sure thing, shoot!”

“What are the...um...Guardians?” He asked. Wendy didn’t reply at first, brows furrowing in thought. 

“It’s….kind of a difficult concept to explain. And a bit of a long story.”

“I have time,” Will insisted, sitting on a stump.Wendy smiled, following suit and sitting next to him. 

“Alright then, get comfy.” She inhaled slowly, before exhaling loudly. 

 

“A really, really long time ago, When there was nothing but chaos, and destruction, poverty and conflict, A terrible demon, from a separate reality reigned. He destroyed everything, Threw the area into absolute chaos, in his own strange way. Things were out of whack, and the people that lived here lived in fear of him. A team of immortals decided it was in their best interest to destroy the demon. Twelve of them, some of the most powerful beings, ascended, bringing themselves together to destroy the demon. However they didn’t succeed. Not fully.

They injured him terribly, and he retreated to his own dimension to heal, vowing that one day he’d return to claim the town. Since then, the Guardians remained, keeping a vigilant eye on the town and its inhabitants, always watching for the demon’s return so that they could destroy him once and for all. Until that day comes, however, they offer the townsfolk peace, prosperity, and protection. Two of the more powerful Guardians, protect the matters of the mind and heart. They help everyone, just like they helped you and your brother.” Will blinked, brows furrowing as he absorbed the information. 

“..What do you mean, they helped us?” He asked. Wendy smiled.

“You think it was just coincidence I found you in the woods? I was approached by one of them, a good friend of mine, and I was asked to help keep an eye out for you two. Just because they don’t interact with you directly, doesn’t mean they aren’t watching out for you.”  
“They sound like guardian angels, or something,” Will thought out loud. The redhead laughed, standing before offering him a hand. He took it, and she helped him stand as well, before leading him back home. 

“Not quite. But they do care very much about everyone, and It seems one of them is very interested in you two. As long as they’re around, you and your brother will be safe, and looked after. Things may seem tough, but it’ll work out in the end. I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here you are! No more updates til either shortly after christmas or shortly after new years, as my days are going to be hectic! hope you enjoy, happy holidays! <3 as always, kudos and comments are appreciated, and if you want to stay updated, follow me on tumblr!  
> http://judejubecubed.tumblr.com/


	9. Hearing Things

Will spent the remainder of the week mostly out in the woods with Wendy. She continued to educate him on the wildlife, and on what was and was not edible. He began keeping track of the information in a notebook, drawing sketches of the plants. Vegetation wasn't the only thing he'd seen, however.

They at one time, ended up trespassing gnome territory, and when the little creatures had angrily come out of hiding, Will couldn't believe his eyes. Wendy had calmed them, reassuring them that the teen wouldn't harm them, and both of them had sat, watching the little gnomes go about their duties. For once, he felt at ease in someone else’s company, and he enjoyed it thoroughly. In his spare time, he read the novel his brother gave to him, trying to glean as much information of the Guardians as he could. He liked to think that maybe they really were like angels of sorts. It helped him think more positively about the future, that someone cared enough about them to watch over them.

Bill, on the other hand, was starting to hear and see things. 

The first day Will had left, he'd read the journal cover to cover, amazed with the wonderful creatures that apparently dwelled within the town, and it excited him that there were such strange things out there. The next few days were spent rereading it, especially focusing on the small snippets about the guardians, but he paid attention to the author’s muse, whom discovered it wasn't truly a friend, but a monster, using the author to escape into their reality to take over. Bill ended up memorizing the pages, as well as few pictures of it sketched onto the pages. He'd poured over those pages tirelessly, interest peaked about the being.

And that was when he started hearing voices.

The first time he paid no mind to it. Will was next to him, reading his book, and tended to mutter the lines to himself. A habit he'd had for years. And so Bill blew it off easily.

However, when he started understanding the words, he had no way to pin it on his twin. Will had started staying out in the woods all day, not coming back until supper or later. When the blond had confronted him about it, Will had explained to him that he'd made a friend, and they liked hiking together.   
Bill didn't know whether he was happy for his brother or angry to have him become so independent. He didn't want to find out. 

The first time the blond actually caught a glimpse of something, he'd been up in the attic. He'd brought out the journal again, skimming the pages and reading bits he still found fascinating. His reading was interrupted by the sound of splintering wood. Tucking the book under his arm, he padded to the source of the noise silently. It seemed like it had come from one of the bedrooms. Slipping in and looking around, he noticed a floorboard had snapped in half.

It made no sense. He was the only one home, and no animal was heavy enough to break it on its own without getting stuck in the indent. Shuffling closer, he knelt down to inspect the broken board. 

Beneath it, a box was hidden away. Curious, Blond retrieved it, dusting it off gently before opening it.

It didn't contain anything fancy, just an elegant looking pen and a small handheld blacklight. As he took it out, he caught sight of a shadow scurrying past him. Fear shot through him, fists tightening to prepare to hit something, but when he whirled around, there was nothing there.

The air seemed charged around him, tense and dangerous. Bill’s heart was racing, but soon relaxed when he caught sight of his brother entering the room. 

“Hey Bill! I found another patch of blueberries, these ones are way better than the other ones and- are you alright?” Any excitement the teen had before went out the window when he took in his brother’s frightened expression.

“You think it's funny to scare me like that?” The blond hissed, eyes narrowing at Will. “You damn near gave me a heart attack! Why are you hiding in the house??” Will flinched at the anger in his brother’s voice, eyes wide like a frightened deer. 

“I-I wasn't though, I haven't been home a-all day,” he stammered timidly, and Bill relaxed, guilt washing over him.

“Sorry, I'm not mad at you, I just...you startled me. I must be going stir crazy in the house,” he joked, relieved when his twin visibly relaxed again. He seemed to pause before he spoke up again.

“W-well...why don't you come with me tomorrow? Y-you could finally meet my friend, and it'd be good for you to get the exercise,” the blue-haired boy offered, and Bill smiled back at him. 

“Yeah, that'd be pretty cool actually!” The blond exclaimed, and the two of them went back downstairs, chattering amongst themselves about how the day might go, the incident upstairs temporarily forgotten.

Bill had a nightmare that night. 

He was aware he was dreaming, that in and of itself was strange enough. He was surrounded by darkness, barely even able to see his own hand in front of his face, and it was absolutely still and silent. There were no details of the space he was in, it was just dark and empty. 

“Hello?” he called out nervously. No answer, though he had the feeling he was being watched. The hairs on the back of his neck raised, his arms breaking out in goosebumps from the unsettling atmosphere. The blond tried walking, to see if there was any way out, but was knocked back full force by something. He let out a yelp when suddenly a vivid red light shone In his eyes. Shielding them, he felt his heart sink at the loud cackling laughter that filled the air. 

“Y O U R E M O R E P A T H E T I C T H A N I T H O U G H T,” a voice echoed around Bill, and decided he scrambled to get up, fists clenched and raised to defend himself. All this got was more laughter.   
“ Y O U R E A L L Y T H I N K Y O U S T A N D A C H A N C E A G A I N S T M E, B O Y?” The voice inquired. “I C O U L D D E S T R O Y Y O U B E F O R E Y O U C O U L D E V E N T H I N K O F L A N D I N G A H I T” 

“If you really think so then show yourself. What do you have to be afraid of?” Bill shot back. It went silent for several long, tense moments. Just as Bill thought the being had left, and brilliant, glowing red eye stared down at him. Bricks floated over, forming a triangle around the eye before the being formed completely. Bill thought it couldn't have looked more ridiculous. 

“...Really? You're nothing but a glorified dapper red corn chip,” the blond snorted, stepping back cautiously when the creature neared. 

“Y O U T A L K P R E T T Y B I G, K I D. B U T I D O N T R E A L L Y C A R E W H A T Y O U T H I N K. N O W L I S T E N U P, Y O U D I S G U S T I N G B A G O F F L E S H. I W A N T T O M A K E A D E A L W I T H Y O U.” Bill narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the triangle.   
“Oh yeah? Like what?” The demeanor of the being seemed to change to that of a more pleased expression.

“ Y O U H E L P M E W I T H S O M E T H I N G S M A L L , A N D I’ L L M A K E I T W O R T H Y O U R W H I L E, F O R Y O U A N D Y O U R B R O T H E R.” Before Bill had a chance to ask anything, the being vanished, his departing words echoing in his mind before he awoke. 

“J U S T T H I N K A B O U T I T F O R N O W. W E’ L L M E E T A G A I N S O ON.”   
The blond awoke in a cold sweat, panting a bit. Immediately he looked to his brother, relaxing when he realized he was safe. He mulled over his dream in his mind, trying to figure out if it was real or not. Exhaustion soon took over however, and he fell into a dreamless sleep this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Belated Holidays everyone! Hope your winter holidays were wonderful, no matter what you celebrate! As promised, here is the next chapter! Hope you and enjoy, and as always, Kudos and Comments are greatly appreciated, I love reading the comments you guys leave me, it really makes my day! 
> 
> wanna hit me up on tumblr? stay updated? see my dorky art? here's my blog!
> 
> http://judejubecubed.tumblr.com/


	10. Hey, What's in the Cave?

“Hurry up, bro-bro, she's not gonna wait for us forever!” Will exclaimed excitedly, leading the way through the forest he'd become so familiar with recently, his twin dragging behind him tiredly. The blond let out another loud yawn, having gotten restless sleep last night, his dream on his mind since he'd gotten up for the day as he tried to make sense of it. He was getting a headache.

“Comin’,” He replied, shooting Will a quick smile as he jogged to catch up. “So you said your friend is a girl? She your giiiiirlfrieeeeeend~?” Bill drawled out, and Will’s face flushed a brilliant red. 

“N-No, it's nothing like that, W-we’re just friends!” He protested. Bill snickered at his brother's embarrassment. 

“I’m just teasing you, Will!” he replied, throwing an arm around his brother's shoulder as they continued. “Where'd you meet her, anyways?” 

“Out here in the woods. She uh...the day I got lost, she showed me how to get back,” Will admitted. Bill snorted.

“Saved by a girl. Smooth.” Will huffed, annoyed.

“Well she's cool, so shush. I don't want you to annoy her.” 

“Yeesh, I won't, I promise!” The blond replied, rolling his eyes. This seemed to placate his brother, and before long they'd reached a clearing in the woods. Bill gladly sat, Will taking a seat next to him, and they waited. 

They spent the time in silence, Will bringing out his notebook to sketch. Bill was itching to bring out the journal, which he’d brought in his bag, but didn’t want to show his brother just yet. He knew his twin would be hurt that he hadn’t told him about it, but with all the weird stuff he’d dealt with lately, he needed to be sure he wasn’t doing anything too dangerous. 

The twins were both lost in their own thoughts, so much so that they didn’t hear footsteps approaching until they heard a voice accompany them. 

“Hey Will, hope I didn’t keep you waiting too lo-” Wendy paused mid sentence, staring at the two in surprise. “Oh, I had no idea we’d be having company. Is this your brother?” She asked, and Will nodded.

“Yep! He’s barely left the house, so I thought he should meet you,” He explained. “I’m sorry, I probably should have asked first, I hope that’s okay.” Wendy smiled.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” She assured him.

“....I don’t get it.” The two of them turned back to Bill, who was eyeing Wendy’s outfit in confusion. “Do you guys,like...Larp, or something?” He asked.

“No! Nothing like that!” Will protested, and Wendy laughed.

“Definitely not. My name is Wendy Corduroy, I’m the spirit of the forest, I’ve been teaching your brother a thing or two. You must be Bill, Will’s told me a lot about you,” She smiled warmly. Offering her hand, Bill took it, shaking firmly.

“Um, okay….It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Alright! Now that formalities are out of the way, let’s go!” She cheered, leading them deeper into the forest. Will followed behind her eagerly, Bill lagging behind a few steps to stare at his surroundings, and decide on just how sharp Wendy’s axe was and just how skilled she might be with it. At least he and his brother were fast runners, it would make escape easy if she turned out to be nuts.

“So! Will pretty much knows this side of the woods like the back of his hand,” The redhead began, catching both of their attention. “So how’s about I take you guys someplace new? Ever been inside a cave?” Bill perked up, grinning broadly. 

 

“Sweet, we’re gonna go in a cave!” H e cheered, Will looking a bit apprehensive. 

“W-why? They’re dark, and there could be bears,” He replied nervously. Wendy laughed.

“Don’t worry, Will, I’ll be with you guys the entire time!” She reassured him, tousling his hair. Will mumbled under his breath in response, before nudging his brother. 

“You brought a flashlight, right?” He asked, and Bill nodded. Taking it out of his bag, he turned it on as they approached the mouth of a large cave. Wendy turned to them once more. 

“Okay, so there’s a very special something hidden away in these caves, and you two are going to help me retrieve them!” She informed the teens. 

“Cool!” Bill cheered, following Wendy eagerly, tugging Will along beside him. They turned on the flashlight as they went further in, and came across cave walls glimmering with strange coloured crystals, stalactites hanging from the roof. Will was taken aback by the sight, Though Wendy seemed hardly awestruck. She went right to business, plucking crystals out of walls and in corners. Will took notes, sketching the area roughly as Bill wandered around eagerly, checking out each and every interesting thing. 

“Wow, what are these?” He asked, poking at one.

“They’re a kind of healing crystals,” Wendy explained, smiling faintly as she snagged a few more. “There’s a witch that lives not too far off, sometimes I bring her some, and she helps me make an ointment of sorts. It helps with small injuries,” She replied, storing them all in a pocket Bill hadn’t noticed before. “It’s a form of payment, since I help keep the timber wolves and more dangerous creatures away from her home.” Having finished her task, she turned back to the boys, only to grow alarmed at the blond, who was attempting to pull a crystal out from one of the stalactites. 

“Bill, no, that’s too dangerous, I have enough anyway,” She protested, and Will glanced up. 

“Bro-bro, you really shouldn’t do that,” Will warned, but Bill stubbornly persisted, until he finally managed to wrench the blue crystal from it. 

“Got it!” He cried out triumphantly, before yelping in surprise. The stalactite had fallen apart, crumpling next to him on the ground. Cracks soon formed on the ceiling, the new lack of support making the cave roof unstable and dangerous. Will cried out as dust and rocks began to fall over them, and Wendy attempted to herd the boys back to where they came. 

“Quickly!” She urged them. Before they all could make it, rock crumbled. Wendy quickly pushed them out of the way, seconds before the entrance disappeared, blockading the boys in the cave. They sat still, Will clinging to his brother in terror, until the tremors finally subsided and all went still once more. The boys had become separated from the redhead, and no matter how hard they pushed against the wall of rocks it wouldn’t budge. 

“It’s okay, Will,” Bill reassured his panicky twin, grabbing the flashlight and taking his brother’s hand. He smiled at him reassuringly, before pulling him along. “Come on, this cave didn’t look that big, I’m sure there’s another exit somewhere.” Will merely nodded, following his brother into the cave in hopes of finding a way to escape.

 

“I’m pretty sure we passed that rock already..”Will piped up. They’d been walking around for what felt like an hour at least, and it seemed like they just kept getting lost deeper and deeper in the seemingly endless cavern. Bill was becoming irate with the situation, guilt consuming him for causing the mishap to begin with. 

“This cave has to end sometime soon!” He groaned, digging into his bag to bring out the journal. He flipped through it, hoping he could find something about the cave and if there were any other entrances.

“What is that, Bill?” Will asked, confused as he watched his brother flip through the book. He’d caught a glimpse of it yesterday when he’d found his brother frightened upstairs, but hadn’t asked about it. Bill seemed to pause, guilt evident on his face at he bit at his lip.

“...Promise you won’t get mad..?” He asked timidly. Will nodded, crossing his heart. That seemed to ease the blond. “I...found it in the cabin a while ago. I was going to tell you about it, but I thought you’d think I was crazy for believing it!” He explained in a rush, leaving his brother even more confused. 

“Believing what, Bro..?” He asked.

“...It’s about magic.”

“Magic..?”

“Well, not just magic. Sure, it’s got spells and junk in it, but it’s also got info on magical and weird creatures that live in the town. Will, it’s amazing! So many weird things actually exist! Hell, even GNOMES are real!” Bill had grown excited, relieved to finally gush to his brother about the book. Will was silent for a few moments, before piping up.

“I know, I’ve seen them.”

“Wait, what?” Bill inquired, and Will glanced at him. 

“I’ve seen them...Wendy and I haven’t just been hiking around finding fruit bushes all week. I’ve seen gnomes, scampfires, even barf fairies.” When Bill gave him an incredulous look he quickly interjected. “Believe me, you don’t wanna meet the last ones. Anyway, I...I’m sorry I didn’t tell you...I just….I wanted to be the cool sibling, the brave one that found the neat stuff..” He confessed. Bill stared, mulling over this information.

“...It’s okay,” He finally said. “I kept something from you, you kept something from me. Now we’re even.” Will smiled brightly at that, giving his brother a quick hug.

“Yeah, let’s not keep secrets anymore. It’s stressful,” He admitted, and Bill grinned.

“Deal,” The blond agreed. Spotting a rock, he pointed to it. “Wanna see how far I can kick it? It’ll at least tell us if this way is a dead end or not.” Will nodded.

“Go ahead,” He replied. Bill smirked, winding up his leg and kicking hard, sending the rock careening into the darkness. They listened, hearing a dull ‘thud’ echo shortly after. Bill frowned. 

“Dead end,” He announced, turning on his heels. “Let’s find another way.” Will turned to join him, but a rustle from behind him made him stop. He glanced over his shoulder, eyes squinting to try and see into the dark.

“I think something’s there,” He whispered nervously to his brother, who promptly stopped and rejoined him. They were silent for a long moment, when they both heard rustling. 

“See, there it is again,” Will told him quietly. Bill cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered. 

“IS ANYONE THERE?” At first, there was no response. Soon though, a pair of eyes peered at them from the darkness. Both boys sighed in relief, but turned into a gasp when suddenly dozens of eyes were staring at them intently. Frightened, Will grabbed the flashlight, shining it in front of them. The sight caused his blood to freeze.

They were eyeballs. With wings. That’s all they were. Not people, and they didn’t belong to the body of any creature. 

“Eyebats,” Bill said aloud. He went to approach them. Immediately, one of the creatures flew closer, its eye glowing vividly as it stared them down. Bill grabbed Will, jerking him aside when a beam of light flashed over the spot he was standing in seconds before. When the boys looked, they noticed that the few crystals in its path had turned to stone.

“Run,” Bill muttered. When Will wouldn’t budge, he shoved him forward, following close behind. “Will RUN!” He yelled, and the two of them made a break for it, running around twists and turns, occassionally yelping when one of the eyebats’ beams narrowly missed them. It was terrifying, the boys running for their lives as they desperately looked for a way to escape. Bill occasionally picked up rocks, throwing them at them with every opportunity, and at some point Will had thrown the flashlight at them, knocking one of them to the ground with an inhuman screech. 

Soon, however, they ran across a dead end. With nowhere to hide behind or turn to, They became cornered by the beasts. Bill jumped in front of his brother, shielding him from the eyebats as best he could. 

“Alright then, you’re gonna have to get me if you’re gonna get to him!” He hollered. He took the journal out of his bag, passing it to Will as he began to whip the bag at the creatures. That weapon was soon taken from him, being turned to stone, and he was left defenseless. They boys cowered, eyes closing and hugging each other tightly as they waited for the end to come. 

But it never did. 

The boys heard the sound of metal scraping the cave walls, a few grunts as they heard the eyebats screeching in agony. When Bill finally dared to open his eyes, He was amazed. A young man stood in front of them, dressed in an elegant-looking blue military uniform. He was swinging a sword at the eyebats, and that in and of itself was breathtaking, seemingly made of a galaxy, stars dotting the blade as he cut through the creatures with no remorse. Once he’d killed off most of them, he readjusted his cap, before grabbing on to the two teens. The next thing Bill knew, he and Will were tumbling onto the forest floor, dizzy and disoriented.

“Will! Bill!” He heard Wendy cry out in relief, quickly smothering the two in a tight hug. “I was so worried about you two! Are you guys okay? You aren’t hurt, are you?” She asked.

“No, we’re fine,” Will replied, dazed, and Bill nodded in confirmation.

“If I’d shown up even a second later, you two would have been done for,” A voice piped up, and Bill glanced up to see that the man was standing over them. His facial expression remained stoic and unreadable, though he noticed it soften as he helped the shaken blond back to his feet. “That’s why you two should be more careful. The forest can be a dangerous place, too.”

“Oh pshhhh, it’s not like you’ve never tried adventuring out here yourself, Dip!” Another voice piped up, a girl’s. She appeared next to him, slugging him in the shoulder (hard enough to make him grimace and rub his arm, Bill noted), And she smiled brightly at the boys. “They’re teens, they’re gonna wanna have fun and stuff! Let ‘em have their fun!” The man simply rolled his eyes at the girl, arms crossing stubbornly.

“I’m sorry,” Will piped up in the confusion, and they all turned to glance at him. “But...who are you?” The girl clapped her hands together, beaming broadly at him and bouncing in excitement, her long skirt billowing behind her. 

“Wonderful question! My name is Mabel! And this is my brother, Dipper.” The man, Dipper, simply tipped his head in acknowledgement. 

“And we’re Guardians of Zero Gravity!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :^) Hope their introduction was satisfactory.
> 
> They're finally here! I'm sorry it took ten chapters to do it, I didn't want to rush anything! Also loooong chapter is long, hope you enjoy!
> 
> kudos and comments are greatly appreciated, I adore reading the feedback and comments you guys leave me, it really brightens my day!
> 
> wanna follow me on tumblr and see what I'm up to? Message me just because you want to? hit me up! I don't bite!  
> @ http://judejubecubed.tumblr.com/
> 
> Next Update: January 14th


	11. A Very Sudden Change

“Guardians?” Will whispered, incredulous, his eyes wide in awe. “Like...Like the Guardians of the town?” Mabel looked like her face would split from how big her smile was, Dipper looking mildly ruffled by the overwhelming adulation the teen seemed to have for them.

“We’re just a couple of them. There are more of us, but yes. My sister and I aid in protecting the town.” Dipper carefully inspected his sword, and, seemingly satisfied with whatever he saw, sheathed it.

“Th-that’s- Ohmygosh Bill- That's so cool!” The blue-haired boy exclaimed, jumping up to his feet with a goofy smile, hugging the journal to his chest. “I've read about you guys, b-but I didn't think I'd ever meet you!” 

“Wellp, here we are, shorty!” Mabel exclaimed, hugging the teen tightly. “Gosh, you are just the most adorable thing ever!” She squealed. Will’s smile broadened, adoring the attention he was receiving. Meanwhile, Bill and Dipper were having a staring contest.

“...Is...something wrong with my hair?” The young man inquired.

“Pine Tree.” Bill replied. Dipper raised his brow. Bill pointed to his hat. “You have a pine tree on your hat. So that's now your nickname. Pine Tree.” Dipper simply rolled his eyes, ignoring the blond in favour of glancing at the other boy. “What are your names, if you don't mind me asking?” 

“I'm Will, Will Cipher,” The blue-haired boy replied, before pointing to his twin. “And that's my brother, Bill.” After he'd introduced the blond, it was like everyone had frozen. Mabel’s smile had faltered, all but disappearing, and Dipper had once again become transfixed on the blond, who stared back inquisitively. Before he could even blink or catch the movement, Dipper was in front of him, the tip of his sword barely inches from his neck. Bill held his breath, anxiety making his blood run cold. Will looked panicked, too scared to do anything but let out a quiet whimper. Bill slowly raised his hands in surrender, and they stood like that for a few long, agonizing moments. 

“So,” Bill started, flinching when the sword brushed against his skin. “Any particular reason as to why you're suddenly pissed at me? I don't remember doing anything wrong.” Dipper narrowed his eyes.

“You know exactly what you've done, demon,” he spat, livid. When Bill raised a brow, silently questioning, Mabel took a step forward, grabbing her brother’s arm. 

“Hey, Dip, no need for violence,” she tried to smile, though everyone could tell it was forced, the cheerfulness in her voice fake. “They're just a couple of kids with weird names, no need to jump to conclusions!” She nudged his arm, and the brunet lowered his sword hesitantly. 

“.....I'm going.” he spoke sharply. “Stan and Ford will want to hear about this.” he whispered something to Mabel, who nodded. Dipper returned the nod with a grim look, before disappearing. Bill finally relaxed, and Will sidled up to him timidly, clinging onto his brother’s shirt sleeve. 

“W-What’d we do to make him not like us..?” He mumbled to his brother. The blond merely shrugged, masking his nerves with a calm and indifferent look. 

“No clue. Probably had that stick shoved up his-” 

“I have a great idea!” Mabel interrupted, giving them another fake smile as she linked arms with the boys. “Why don't Wendy and I take you two home, and we can all do something fun? How does that sound?” The twins shared a look, before Will nodded slowly. 

“Th-that sounds like fun,” The teen replied, and Mabel squeezed his arm gently. 

“Awesome! And don't worry about me, I won't jump you guys like that,” She said, attempting a laugh to lighten the mood. “How about board games? Do you guys like board games?”

“I play a pretty mean game of monopoly,” Bill volunteered, and Mabel smiled gratefully at him.

“Sure thing! I love monopoly!” She chirped in reply, practically dragging the boys along, Wendy trailing along behind them quietly.

 

“This...definitely changes things,” A man sat before dipper in an elegant chair, brows furrowed as he inspected his staff in thought. He seemed lively, despite his age. However his eyes betrayed his concern as he regarded Dipper, who was standing tall with an unsure look on his face. 

“What do I do, Ford?” He asked anxiously. “He hasn't done anything yet, I don't even think he understands what he is, but he's still a threat. I can't just let him roam freely. All that death and destruction, we helped prevent, only for it to be repeated.” 

“We will not allow that,” Ford interrupted, standing to rest his hands on Dipper’s shoulders and squeezing reassuringly. “I don't know what this means, Mason. But I will consult the other Guardians. Rest assured, we will find a solution. In the meantime, continue with your duties. But be cautious, and keep an eye on him. Don't do anything drastic unless absolutely necessary. Understood?” Dipper nodded in understanding. “Good. Now get going. No one is to be treated any differently, I don't want him catching on.”

“Of course,” Dipper replied, tipping his head in agreement. “I'll make sure of it.” With that, Dipper disappeared once more.

“Hey Poindexter,” A man, identical to Ford, approached him. “Everything okay with the kids?” 

“I don't know, Stanley,” Ford responded, sitting in his chair once more, looking troubled. “But we need to call a meeting with all of the Guardians, as soon as possible. I fear there might be trouble brewing once more in Zero Gravity,” he informed him solemnly.

 

“HAH! That’s five hundred bucks for rent! Fork it over!” Mabel shouted, grinning mischievously at Bill. The teen groaned, before passing over a handful of fake cash grumpily. 

“This is unfair!” He protested, as Mabel recounted the pretend money gleefully. “You own property on that entire side of the board, you’re going to destroy me!” It was getting late in the evening, and the smell of dinner finishing up made the place seem cozier than it had ever been. 

Mabel, upon seeing the shape the shack was in and hearing what the two teens had been going through, had insisted on marching up to the Mayor’s office. Wendy, Bill and Will had sat outside for nearly half an hour, waiting patiently for her to return. When she did, she looked triumphant. Not even a couple hours later, they’d returned to the cabin, which soon was running in near perfect condition. Mabel had helped Bill tidy up the remainder of the house, as well as get started on dinner. Once they’d finished, she’d disappeared for a while, before returning with games, as well as her brother. They’d all sat down at the table, and were currently finishing up the game. 

Wendy had been the first to go bankrupt, defending herself by saying she belonged in the forest, and therefore had no use for property or money. Will had been next, paying for a property he couldn’t afford and quickly fell into bankruptcy as well. It was down to Bill and Mabel now, but Bill had had to sell most of his own property just to stay in the game as long as he had. 

“Too bad~” The woman practically sang, grinning smugly at the blond. “You’re playing against the master of board games and cash handling! Should’ve upped your rent and bought more houses when you had the chance~” Bill grumbled under his breath. Wendy chuckled. 

“What are you going to do? You could always forfeit the game,” The redhead asked, but Bill shook his head vigorously. 

“No way in hell am I letting her win!”

“Well, you better win if you want to live the independent life~” Mabel butted in, and the blond raised his brow in question. “Cause I totally forgot to tell you what was at stake! If I win, Dipdop and I get to stay with you guys~ And if I lose, I owe you both later~” Bill snorted.

“First off you can’t make up things like that, everyone has to agree before the game starts,” He told her. “And besides, you obviously didn’t think it through enough.”

“Oh well!” She replied cheerfully. “It’s not going to matter soon though, ‘cause I’m about to win anyway! And we were wanting to stick around here for a while anyway! So looks like you're stuck with us!” They finished off the game shortly, and true to her word Mabel ended up winning by a landslide. The two bickered, Will sitting up from where he was laying down to watch the chaos groggily. Wendy wound up excusing herself, explaining that she needed to get the crystals they'd gathered to the witch. Dipper had remained quiet all night, merely watching everything unfold. Being in the cabin made him feel sick to his stomach, but he endured it. He had to, if he wanted things to remain peaceful. He kept a close eye on Bill the entire night, trying to catch any glimpses of the blond acting stranger than he should, but couldn't pinpoint anything. It was frustrating. 

After dinner, they all retired for the night. The twins didn't know where Mabel had managed to find the furniture to fill the cabin (magic, they'd eventually guessed), but we're happy nonetheless to have a room with a proper bed and dresser. The Pines split their rooms, Mabel taking one on the main floor and Dipper volunteering for the one upstairs. It'd be weird, he'd reasoned when Mabel had protested, to have her upstairs instead of him. It would ensure Mabel would get her privacy. Dipper also told her privately that he wanted to be nearest to the boys, to keep an eye on them. Mabel hadn't argued after that.

“Nighty Night!” Mabel whispered to the tired boys, smiling and waving as she shut their door and padded back downstairs. The twins waved back, Will yawning sleepily as he simply turned over and went to bed. 

Bill was wide awake for a long time, mind going a mile a minute as he tried to process the days’ events. He had managed to be calm and collected all day, but since they'd met the twins he'd had a headache thumping painfully at his temples, and he'd been extremely careful around Dipper, who clearly didn't seem to like the blond. 

It was hard, but eventually exhaustion took over, and Bill fell into a restless sleep. 

Neither boys noticed the dark figure that stood near the window, watching them both intently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have to update the tags, but if i do there'll be spoilers :^) I also have a hard time with chapter names, rip. I hope you guys enjoy it! next chapter is about half way done, so it'll be updated on the 21st! 
> 
> Want to stay updated? see my random posts or send me a message? Come find me on tumblr, I don't bite!
> 
> I appreciate any and all kudos and comments, it really makes my day to hear back from the readers!


	12. A Loving Home?

Bill had another dream. The being that had haunted his previous dream had returned. 

“S O, D O Y O U R E M E M B E R N O W?” The creature inquired, and Bill merely scowled up at it , waving it away when it drew closer. 

“What are you even talking about?” he snapped back, scowl deepening as it just laughed at him.

“L O O K A T Y O U. Y O U U S E D T O B E F E A R E D. A N D N O W H E R E Y O U A R E. D E F E A T E D. P A T H E T I C. U S E L E S S.” It cackled again, and Bill rubbed at his temples, trying to rid himself of his worsening head. “Y O U C O U L D B E R E S P E C T E D. Y O U C O U L D H A V E T H O S E P A T H E T I C G U A R D I A N S T R E M B L I N G B E N E A T H Y O U R F E E T. B U T I N S T E A D Y O U R E M A I N I N H I D I N G. W H A T E V E R H A P P E N E D T O L I B E R A T I N G T H I S D I M E N S I O N?”

“I have no idea what you're going on about,” he bit back, “But shut up. Your voice is annoying.” The being seemed to be amused with the blond. It vanished from sight.

“L O O K I N T H E A T T I C, C I P H E R,” was the last thing it said before the blond woke up, breathing hard and sweating. He didn't understand why he felt so panicked: the thing hadn't even threatened him, but still left him anxious and so confused his aching head was swimming. “How annoying,” the blond groaned, before lying down once more, determined to get some solid sleep.

When he finally woke, he was exhausted and extremely grumpy. He sat up slowly, and noticing that his twin was missing, padded downstairs sleepily. 

He was greeted by a cozy sight. Mabel was humming a tune to herself, hair tied neatly up out of the way as she pranced around the table, which held a breakfast fit for royalty. Bill felt his mouth water as he looked over the numerous pancakes, hash browns, and bacon. He didn't realize how hungry he really was until his stomach growled loudly. That seemed to announce his presence to the others. 

“Oh, Bill! Perfect timing! Breakfast is almost done, come take a seat!” Mabel called out, and Bill obeyed. Will soon appeared from the kitchen, smiling broadly at his twin. 

“Morning!” Bill merely grunted at his twin, yawning loudly. 

“Where'd you get all this stuff? He asked sleepily. Mabel giggled.

“Magic!” she replied mysteriously, wiggling her fingers to punctuate her statement. Will smiled shyly, helping her set the table. “Nah, Just kidding. It’s ‘cause I went into town to buy a few things!” She explained. 

“You two sure got settled in fast,” Bill commented dryly, before taking a long swig of orange juice Mabel set in front of him. “A little too fast, actually. You two just showed up yesterday, and you're already at home?” Mabel shrugged.

“What can I say? We've been around for a really long time. What better way to help keep things interesting than by doing spontaneous things?” She asked, before poking his nose gently. “Beep bap boop!” she giggled before returning to the task of helping Will set the table. Bill was going to reply with something snarky, but paused when he noticed Dipper enter the room, looking nothing short of impeccable, not a hair out of place. The blond wrinkled his nose distasteful lyrics, before grinning.

“Well well well, look what the cat dragged in!” he commented cheerfully. “I see you were probably up at dawn trying to perfect that look!” His remarks were met with a glare and silence, the brunet sitting down and ignoring everyone in favour of making himself a plate. Bill rolled his eyes, pressing a hand to his chest dramatically. “You wound me with the cold shoulder you're giving me, Pine Tree!”

“I don't want to talk to anyone before I've had my coffee,” the brunet grumbled back. Bill snickered.

“awww, someone's grumpy!” The blond teased, earning himself an irritated glare from Dipper. 

“Don't you have an off switch?” he snapped, and Bill shook his head.

“Nope! In fact, I could keep talking aaaaaaaall dayyyyy,” he replied. Mabel interrupted the two by placing a plate in front of the blond and his twin, smiling at both.

“We'll if you don't stop for now you won't be able to eat breakfast...or lunch...or dinner!” she informed Bill, who'd began shoveling food into his mouth. 

“F’r poinn, Shoofin St’r,” Bill replied through his mouthful, causing Dipper to grimace. 

“No table manners either. I should've guessed,” he muttered to himself. Bill ignored the man in favour of continuing to devour his food. It was mostly quiet at the table, with Will and Mabel occasionally interacting between bites. Bill watched his brother closely. 

It seemed like the blue-haired teen had come out of his shell more, thanks to Mabel’s comforting presence. He seemed to have taken quite a liking to the brunette, his timid personality slowly melting away the more they talked. Will was beginning to speak to her without being prompted, instigating conversation and smiling a lot brighter than he usually did. Bill couldn't help but feel the sting of jealousy. HE was supposed to be the one Will loved being around. It irritated him to know end, but he managed to mask it with indifference. He wasn't about to start petty drama, not when his twin seemed so much happier.

“Just be sure to be careful!” Mabel was informing Will. “Wendy won't be out there with you, and there are still dangers lurking in the forest,” she warned. The blond perked up.

“Then I'll go with him,” he offered, and Will stared at him.

“Are you sure?” He questioned. “You might get bored, I don't do a ton of interesting stuff out there.”

“Sure I’m sure! Besides, it'll give us quality sibling time!” Bill persisted, before Will shrugged.

“Alright then, I guess it’s settled then.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Will, you’ve gone and gotten us lost,” The blond whined loudly, groaning as he stretched his aching legs. Will pouted defiantly as he consulted the map of the forest he’d drawn out himself.

“We’re not lost, Bill, we’re just not anywhere I’ve been before,” The teen shot back, ignoring his brother’s groaning in favour of looking over the map once more. “I swear we didn’t go THAT far off track.”

“Well, guess we’re screwed, huh?”

“No we’re not!” Will insisted, and the blond simply rolled his eyes and lay down on the grass. He stared up at the trees for a few silent moments, before turning his head and realizing he couldn’t see his brother. 

“Will?” He called out. No answer. “Come on bro, don’t get us even more lost.” A rustle from a nearby bush. Bill went on high alert, tensing as he stood and crept towards the foliage. Just before he could try and find the source of the noise, Will popped out of the bush, startling the blond so much he yelped and fell back. 

“You asshole, you scared me half to death!” Bill complained, and Will stuck out his tongue as he got himself untangled from the branches. 

“Just shush and guess what I found!” He replied excitedly. Bill waited, staring at him unamusedly before Will gave up. He carefully held up a small fat ball of...flannel?

“Congratulations Will, you found a jacket,” Bill announced sarcastically, however he did a double take when he noticed the plaid...thing, had eyes and a tail. “Wait, what IS that?”

“I don’t know, but it’s so cute! Look at his little tail!” Will was all but squealing at this point, making his twin laugh in amusement. Bill pulled out the journal, flipping through the pages before finding a sketch of the creature. 

“I think it’s called a Plaidypus?” The blond informed his brother, who was hardly paying attention to him in favour of snuggling the chattering critter. “It’s...yeah, pretty much just a platypus but with a flannel pattern on its fur. Apparently it’s natural?”

“Bill, we should bring it ho-”

“Absolutely not,” the blond cut his brother off, who began to pout.

“But whyyyyy?” He whined, and Bill rolled his eyes.

“Can you eat it?” Bill inquired suddenly. Will blinked, taking in the blond’s question.

“Can we- I don’t- Why would you want to eat it? It;s too cute, I wanted it as a pet!”

“If you can’t eat it, put it back where it belongs,” Bill said in reply, earning him the saddest look his brother could muster. “I’m serious, I’m not dealing with something you’ll forget about later.” Will huffed, hugging the animal protectively. 

“Well too bad, I’m keeping it. Come on little guy, go meet your uncle while I find a way home,” He cooed to plaidypus, before forcing it into the blond’s arms and returned to studying the map.

“Why do I have to hold it?!” Bill complained, trying to keep his grip on the squirming creature.

“Because I need to find where we are on the map. Anyway, I think I found where we need to go.”

“Thank god, I just wanna go eat,” Bill paused, wrinkling his nose when he felt a warmth on the front of his shirt. “What the- WILL, YOUR DAMN PET PISSED ON MY CLOTHES!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray, I'm updating on time! hope you guys are still enjoying this. I know I originally said I was going to stay as true to Tanosan's AU as possible, however because of the lack of info and whatnot, i'm pretty much going on my own ideas and concepts for how I think the AU would play out. However the Zero Gravity AU still belongs to Tanosan!  
> EDIT: ironic isn't it, that the next chapter is delayed after I just bragged about updating on time? way to go me -.- If you'd like to see more on why this update is delayed, please check my tumblr, that's probably where i'm going to be doing my updates and stuff to help keep track of things, i'm so sorry for the delay, please be patient with me!  
> wanna message me randomly? stay updated on things or look at my little doodles? follow me on Tumblr!:  
> http://judejubecubed.tumblr.com/
> 
> I appreciate any and all kudos and comments! it really makes my day to read your guys' thoughts and feelings about the fic and I'm so happy you all still enjoy the story! <3
> 
>  
> 
> Next Update: January 30th(? more than likely, I'm busy in a few hours, but I'm hoping to finish this chapter in the next hour or so, we'll see how it goes!)


	13. It's for Your Own Good

Life continued on at a sluggish pace. The younger twins passed their days in the forest, discovering as many secrets as they could, before returning to what they had begun to call home. Mabel ensured that the boys were well taken care of, preparing meals, sometimes with the aid of Bill, and playing with them when they grew too bored in the house.

Dipper had, at first, remained distant from the two. Mabel had reassured the teens that it wasn't them, Dipper just had a hard time opening up and trusting people. He'd been betrayed by someone before, she explained. Used and then cast aside, and so put very little trust in people. Will had been complacent and understanding, giving the Guardian his space and interacting only when the brunet would initiate a conversation. Bill, on the other hand, did what he always does; what he wanted to.

“Come on, Pine Tree! It's just one game of Uno, it's not gonna kill you,” The blond practically whined, attempting to shove the pack of cards into the man’s hands. 

“No, but the boredom will,” he mumbled, causing Bill to roll his eyes exaggeratingly. 

“Dude, it's one match. I don't bite.”

“You’d probably find a way to cheat,” the Guardian countered, and Bill scoffed, hand fluttering to his chest as he gave him a look of mock hurt.

“Pine Tree, you wound me! It's a card game, why would I feel the need to cheat if I know you're going to get your ass kicked regardless?” Dipper seemed to bristle at the comment, irritated as he opened up the pack and distributed the cards between them. 

“We need more players,” he snapped. Bill grinned before calling his brother over.

“Will come play Uno with me!” 

“In a second!” Came the distant reply. “I'm just finishing giving Puddles a bath!”

Dipper raised a brow. “Puddles?”

“Meh. It's Will’s new pet or something. Found a Plaidypus in the woods and he decided to keep it,” Bill explained.

“Hmn...Why name it Puddles though?” He asked, tapping the cards against the table impatiently. Bill’s face contorted into a scowl.

“Because,” he muttered darkly. “The damn thing pissed on me. So we called it Puddles.” Upon hearing that, Dipper couldn’t help but laugh.

“Sounds like you’ve got some pretty nasty luck with animals,” He teased. Bill stared at him, before grinning back. 

“You know, I think that’s the first time you’ve looked not-grumpy at me,” Bill commented, and the brunet rolled his eyes.

“I’m not….it’s not like that,” Dipper attempted to explain. “I’ve just..got a lot on my plate right now.”

“You mean in regards to me, right?” Bill interjected. The brunet remained quiet. “Because i’m not blind. You give me the cold shoulder, but you’re completely different around Mabel and Will. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining right now, you just do a terrible job at hiding how much you dislike me.”

“I don’t dislike you,” Dipper snapped, before calming himself. “I really don’t. You just...you remind me of someone I knew, I guess. I kind of had a….falling out with them, of sorts. It just catches me off guard sometimes.”

“Yeah?” The blond inquired, resting his elbows on the table and resting his chin in his hands. “Yooooou, wanna talk about it? Get it off your chest or whatever? I mean, I’d have to charge you the regular counselling fee though, I won’t do it for free,”He joked, and Dipper just smiled in response.

“Not really. Besides, it happened a really, REALLY long time ago. It’s already been dealt with.” He cleared his throat before changing the subject as Will walked in, plaidypus cradled in his arms. “That’s...actually pretty adorable, where’d you find him?” He asked. Will sat down, petting the animal lovingly. 

“We found it out in the woods all by itself,” Will explained, the creature nuzzling closer and nibbling on his sweater with its bill. The teen laughed, petting it affectionately, and Bill simply rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah Yeah, he’s your bestie, you love him to death, you’re gonna keep him forever and ever, sappy shit, blah blah blah, can we play the game already?” Will rolled his eyes, taking the cards his twin was practically shoving in his face. 

“Alright, calm down,” He muttered, and soon enough the game began. Bill ended up winning, though Dipper and Will both insisted Bill had cheated somehow.

Will ended up leaving for the forest after a quick lunch, Dipper disappearing to his room for the afternoon, and Mabel tidying up the house. Bill decided to take the journal upstairs, flipping through it and chewing on his lip as he read and reread bits of it. He recalled the being’s words from his dream the night before, brows furrowing as he mulled over it. He was growing increasingly frustrated with it’s cryptic wording and lack of actual, useful information. And what about when it had asked him to do something for it? Had it forgotten? Or was he just over-analyzing the situation, and it truly was just some stupid weird dream? He didn’t know. It was making him irate though. He wished he could go back to dreaming about normal crap. 

Deciding to test his theory out, he trudged up to the attic. If he couldn’t find whatever it was the thing was talking about, he would dismiss it as a stupid dream. And if he did, well...that bridge would be crossed when he got there.

A rustling noise alerted the blond. Double-checking to make sure he was alone, he scanned the room before him. There really wasn’t anything special about it, it was empty for the most part save for the few boxes against the wall. The windows were tinted an orange red, casting the room in fiery sunset colours. It was Bill’s favourite room. Quiet, the air dusty and thick, it was always warm and comforting when he wanted time to himself. Deciding to look around, he inspected the interior, running his fingers along the dusty window ledge and wrinkling his nose. Noticing he’d left the boxes in a haphazard pile, he plopped himself down in front of them, organizing them neatly and stacking them in an orderly pile. When he came across the box he’d found the journal in he paused, opening it and peering inside. He was disappointed. Nothing but spare pens, and the cleaning supplies he’d found. “Well, guess that settles it. My mind is crazy for dreams,” He muttered to himself, putting the box back where it belonged. Taking one last look around him, he left, going into his room for some peace and quiet. His headache was really starting to irritate him.

 

Dipper continued to pace in his room, brows furrowed as he thought deeply. Cap cast aside, his hair was a tangled mess from how many times he’d mussed it up in frustration. Carefully, he draped his coat over the back of the chair Mabel had chosen for him, as the male had insisted on having a desk. He lay down on the bed, around more for decoration than use as sleep was something most Guardians tended not to need. He rested an arm over his eyes to shield it from the harsh ceiling light, mind racing as he thought about how the blond Cipher had nearly caught him in the attic. He’d been quick to leave with what he wanted to find- The page he knew the teen had been looking for. If the blond knew the truth, about what or who he really was, it would be...problematic for everyone, especially for Dipper. He didn’t want to have to be on damage control if the blond went rampant, and he seemed like he could lead a normal life here, if everything was kept simple, and he didn’t get too nosy looking for answers. Dipper sighed deeply, chewing at his bottom lip as he mulled the situation over. He didn’t understand what was going on, didn’t want to. He just wanted to not have to worry for once, he wanted to be able to care for the young twins because he WANTED to, not because he HAD to. He wanted things to stay as they were. It didn’t seem like it would, nothing was ever that simple for him. He smiled bitterly. 

On his desk, crumpled and haphazardly tucked away, was a page of the journal, depicting one Bill Cipher, hidden away from the eyes of the blond himself, and hopefully it would remain that way. 

Dipper would be damned if things fell apart. He’d see to it himself that the blond would never lay eyes on it. If he’d gotten the journal before the blond, things would be so much easier. But he’d get it from him eventually. He just had to play it safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no words for this, other than I sincerely apologize for the delay ^^; life got in the way, and though I've had this chapter half finished for the whole week I didn't have time to add to it, and before I knew it update time came and went and I had nothing to post. I don't know how quickly the next chapter will be out, but i'll be starting on it on the way to work tonight, so hopefully I just keep picking away at it all week instead of forgetting about it. Once again, I'm so sorry for the delay and thank you for your patience! Also, kudos and comments are very much appreciated, especially comments. I got some good feedback on how to write the 'mystery dream thing' (everybody knows who it is and i'm trying so hard to keep it a secret but it's too obvious lol) So I will be working on a font/writing style that will be easier to read when he comes around again. Comments really do help me see what you guys do and don't like/have a hard time with, and it actually reminds me that hey, right, i'm writing a fic! gotta keep writing! thank you all for the love this has recieved, it makes me so happy! okay long-winded notes aside, hit me up on tumblr, where I post updates, sometimes I draw, and post any new news on what's going on with updates! I also love receiving messages there as well, it really brightens my day so don't be shy!  
> Tumblr: http://judejubecubed.tumblr.com/
> 
> Next Update: February 7th (tentatively, perhaps a few days after that, max)


	14. It's Gleeful, Right?

“Bill, you should go see someone, it could be something serious.” A week of headache after headache, dream after incessant dream, and Bill had caved, telling his brother something had been off about himself. Will of course instantly responded with worry that made Bill roll his eyes. He appreciated the concern, but he wasn't a little kid. He'd know if it was serious, right?

“it's fine Will, I'm probably just letting the crazy crap we've been dealing with get to me.” Bill grinned at his brother, before looping an arm around him. Will stiffened, frowning deeply at the blond. 

“Bill what if it isn't fine? What if it's something serious?”

“Jeez you worry too much,” Bill retorted. “I just wanted to see what you thought.” His twin simply shook his head, going back to his book. 

“Well, I’m telling you that I think you should take this a little more seriously. And if you won’t, then I will.” Bill hummed a bit in response, drumming his fingers against his knee. 

“Hey, how’s your potato of a pet doing, by the way?” 

“He’s alright, I guess. He spends a lot of time in the bathtub swimming, Mabel says she’s pretty sure there’s a lake or something nearby we could take him to, give him some more breathing room to play so he isn’t so bored all the time,” He explained, and Bill nodded.

“Yeah, that’s good, he’d probably go nuts without that, so he’ll be happy I bet.” Will grunted in reply. Bored, the blond decided he wanted to go for a bit of a walk, anything to make things less mundane. “Speaking of going nuts, I’m gettin’ cabin fever. I’m going out to town , you want anything?” He asked, and Will thought it over. 

“Maybe like, a chocolate bar or something? Do you even have much money left?”

“Mabel gave me some pocket change a couple days ago, but she says she wants us to get at least part-time jobs, just to teach us responsibility, or something like that.”

“Oh, okay. Have you heard back from anywhere we’ve applied at yet?” Will asked. Bill shook his head. “Oh. Well maybe check up on them, see if they’re just waiting or something?”

“Okay, I’ll let you know when I get back,” With that, the blond grabbed his sweater, pulling it on and slipping on his shoes before walking out. Stuffing his hands in his sweater’s pocket, he trudged into town. 

Stopping by the convenience store, he grabbed a couple of snacks for his twin.

“Hey man, I applied here with my brother a little while ago, I was wondering if you had a spot open for us yet?”

“Sorry kid, not yet. You’ll be the first to know if we do,” The cashier replied boredly, pushing the bag at him. “Have a good day.”

“Yeah, you too,” The blond muttered, grabbing the bag and heading back out. He meandered through town, occasionally stopping by shops to check up on their applications. Each place turned him away, with half-hearted words of encouragement. Irate, the blond scowled to himself as he mulled over what their next move would be. He was so wrapped up in what he was thinking about that he didn’t notice someone fall in step with him.

“Well, If it ain’t the new kid in town! Fancy seein’ you around!” The blond glanced up at last, staring at the younger boy with disinterest. 

“Oh, it’s you, that uh…..Gleeful, or something, right?”

“Gideon,” He reminded Bill, who simply responded with a bored grunt. Gideon’s cheerful demeanor fell slightly, before he pressed on. “Anyways! What brings y’all into town? Rumour has it you’re a hermit livin’ it up in the forest!”

“Aw, there’s rumours about me? Kinda wish everyone thought I was a serial killer or something cool like that,” Bill replied dryly, and Gideon laughed lightly.

“Got ourselves a comedian, huh? You get more ‘n more interestin’ as time progresses! Anywho, I actually have been waitin’ for you to show up for some time now.”

“Oh? Why’s that? Couldn’t stand to be apart from this handsome visage?” The blond grinned wolfishly. Gideon smiled, shaking his head.

“On the contrary, you actually have a lil somethin’ of mine, and i’d like it back.”

“Huh? I don’t recall having anything of yours-hey!” The blond was taken by surprise when the younger boy grabbed his arm, practically dragging him in the direction of the Gleeful’s shop.

“Oh, don’t worry about a thing, darlin’!” Gideon spoke up cheerfully. “I’m not gonna harm you, I just got a few questions that would best be discussed over tea in the privacy an’ comfort of my shop!” With that, Gideon nudged the blond, who obliged hesitantly. “Take a seat, there’s some chairs towards the back of the room.” Bill stared at the younger boy, who disappeared behind a curtain in the back. Curiosity getting the better of him, he made his way to a wicker chair, it’s cushions over stuffed and practically seemed to swallow him whole when he sat. He looked around himself, observing the shop again before he took notice of the bookshelf, and mentally slapped himself. The damn book, he’d forgotten all about it and of course the kid would want it back. He’d promised he would, after all.  
“Listen, if it’s about that book I owe you, I just forgot about giving it back, I wasn’t going to keep it.” 

“Well, that’s a bit of a relief to hear, although that’s only a small part of why I brought you here.” A moment later Gideon re-emerged, toting a tray with two steaming cups. “Please do relax, I have no intention of quarreling with you,” He informed the blond, before passing hima mug. “I actually had no intention of approaching you at all, but you have somethin’ that happens to have attracted my attention.” The blond raised a brow, staring at the younger.

“Look kid, I’m flattered, really I am, but I uh...we’re both young. I mean don’t get me wrong, you’re not bad looking, but you’ve got like...you’re whole life ahead of you and-”

“What are you talkin’ about?” Gideon asked, miffed. “I’m not hittin’ on you, boy, I’m talkin’ about that journal you’ve got there.” Bill’s eyes traveled down to his messenger bag, where sure enough the journal was peeking out of the top.

“....Oh.” Bill replied dumbly, the younger of the two rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

“I’m just curious as to how you got your hands on that lil old thing. You didn’t steal it from me, did you?”

“What? Why would I-”

“I saw what you did to poor ol’ Susan,” Gideon snapped. “Do not take me as a fool boy, I see everythin’ that happens around here.”

“Alright, kid. You got me. I found it where in that shack out in the woods. My brother and I live there.”

“Brother? My that was unexpected. And that old shack is actually functionin’? It’s been abondoned for years, kudos to you an’ your brother for fixin’ that place up! But that’s all besides the point. I myself own one of those journals, and I’d be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t interested in what yours has information on.”

“Hmn….See that’s interesting, because that means that the book is more valuable than I thought, if you want it.”

“Oh believe me, boy, it is invaluable. Priceless. Knowledge is power, And that journal, as well as my own, holds quite a bit of marvelous information.”

“And you want it for something specific, yes?” The blond smirked, leaning back in his chair as he mulled over the idea. “I don’t want to give it to you.” 

“Then I guess we should make ourselves a deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back on track...maybe. There's a big family emergency going on, not going into it, just a lot on my plate right now, and until it's over updates may or may not be late, we'll see how things work out, as the last three days at least, i've basically been living at a hospital. i'll do my best though!
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are always appreciated. I love seeing you guys respond to this fic, and i appreciate all the love this fic has gotten! here's to many more chapters in the future!
> 
> want to drop me a message? check out my art? see updates on how the fic is going? message/follow me on tumblr:  
> http://judejubecubed.tumblr.com/
> 
> Next update: March 1st


	15. Am I Just Insane?

“A deal, huh?” The blond smirked at the younger boy. “You really want this thing, huh? Just how important is this thing?”

“Unimaginably so. They hold the secret to many things in this town. But they especially have wonderful passages on the Guardians. Or at least my own does,” Gideon replied, sipping at his team delicately before setting it on his leg. “I believe yours has brief mentions of some very powerful magic as does my own. And I'd be lyin’ if I said I didn't want to know everythin’ they hold.” The blond mulled over what the younger boy was saying, brows furrowing as he did so. 

“....How’s about This. I’ll let you use the journal, under my supervision, if you’ll do the same for me. And since you seem so well-versed, you gotta teach me some tricks. I wanna learn how to do some of the spells in the book.”

“Is that all, Cipher?” The boy asked, slightly incredulous. “Seems like a small price to pay. Alright then, we got ourselves a deal!” The boys shook on it. 

“Yeah, believe me, my other term was gonna be you in my lap,” The blond quipped, winking flirtatiously at Gideon, whose expression went blank as he pieced together what the blond was implying.

“I-Surely you-....what?” Bill cackled at the way the boy stammered, running a hand through his hair as he stood.

“I was joking, kid, relax! You’re not bad looking, but you’re too young for me!” The blond retorted, snickering at the flustered and dismayed expression on Gideon’s face. “Can’t believe you thought I was being serious! I’m like, barely a teen, and you can’t be more than what, eleven?”

“That’s none of your business,” Gideon replied crossly, finishing off his tea and setting it aside. As he stood the blond stretched, and the two headed for the door. 

“So, how are we gonna do this? When one guy wants the other’s book we just swap?”

“Seems fair enough to me, that way one doesn’t just steal it away and not return it,” Gideon hummed, tapping a finger against his chin. “I appreciate an intelligent business partner.”

“Believe me, I’m the best at negotiating deals and crap,” Bill bragged as the left the building and stepped out onto the sidewalk. “Anyways, I’m gonna head back home. You know where to find me if you want the journal.”

“Likewise,” Gideon replied cheerfully, and the two boys waved before parting ways.

 

Bill was drowning. How, he had no idea. He was only aware of the burning in his lungs and the lack of oxygen making his brain a fuzzy mess. It felt...wrong. He was in complete blackness, but could see it toss and turn restlessly at the same time. It felt incorporeal, but at the same time he felt it all over himself, each crash of it against him bringing about a wave of anxiety and panic and fearandangerandHATREDANDBRETRAYALBETRAYALBETRAYAL-

The next thing he knew, he was thrown into a dream, vivid and clear like it’d just happened. He was aware that he was himself, but not. It was indescribable. The other incredibly weird thing was, that he was looking at Dipper. But he wasn’t the same. Instead of a tall, stone-faced man standing before him, It was a boyish version of him, frail and messy-looking, paranoia practically engraved into his features. 

Bill became aware of the fact that he was speaking, and his vision swam in front of him as he realized he couldn’t see out of one eye. His words were garbled, and he couldn’t make out a word of it. But each passing moment it seemed that the boy-Dipper- grew more and more frightened and doe-eyed to the blond, shrinking back on himself and wringing his hands nervously as he spoke. Bill became aware of the ache in his chest, the urge to cry, throw his face into his hands and never move again overwhelming. The next thing he knew, Dipper had cried out, his voice still warped and untranslatable before running away. The blond stumbled forward, despair growing far beyond what he thought possible, before the scene before him dissipated, and he was himself again, collapsing to what he imagined was the ground, gasping and trembling as he fought to regain control over himself.

“W-What’s happening t-to me..?” He whispered to himself, and he jolted when familiar laughter filled his ears, a red blinding glow enveloping him. 

“Have you figured it out yet?” That stupid red triangle was back, and the blond scowled deeply at it, only earning what he assumed to be a look of amusement.

“I’ve figured out that you’re a colossal dick,” He snapped back. The triangle tutted at him.

“Still far too brash and loud. Silent but deadly is a much better way to go.”

“Just tell me who the hell you are, and what was that all about? What did you just make me see?” The blond all but begged. The being paused, looking over the teenager scornfully.

“I haven’t done anything besides pay you a visit, Cipher,” it quipped. “Seems like your vessel is beginning to unlock previous memories. Finally starting to realize that you’re fabricating this lie you call your life?” It scoffed. “You’re the one that insisted on letting some puny human get to you, and now you’re paying the price.”

“Do you ever say anything that makes sense?” Bill all but snarled. The creature rolled its eye as Bill’s vision became fuzzy.

“Patience kid. You’re pretty close to figuring it out.”

Bill woke up thrashing and gasping, his blind panic tipping him off the couch in a mess of tangled blankets. He panted, the ache still prominent in his chest making it hard for him to breathe. It only got worse when he realized Dipper was staring down at him with a mixture of curiosity and concern. Bill swallowed down the feeling as best he could as he sat up, his disoriented mind trying to work out what had happened. He’d gone to town, he’d made that deal with Gideon, came home to chat with Will. When he had left to spend the day with Mabel and Wendy, Bill had the house to himself, and he guessed he must’ve passed out on the couch from boredom. And now here he was, dream fresh in his mind like an open wound, and the last person on earth he wanted to see standing over him and holding out a hand.

“Are you alright?” The man asked, brows furrowing when Bill ignored his hand in favour of getting up by himself. “Bill?”

“Hey Pine Tree,” Bill piped up suddenly. “Did you ever, like….were you ever a normal kid? Did you ever know me?”

“I...What kind of question is that? Surely you’d remember something like that?” Dipper replied, utterly confused. “And besides, I’ve always been like this.”

“Sorry for the weird question. Just….had a really weird dream about you, is all,” The blond replied. Dipper opened his mouth to ask a question but was interrupted. “It’s funny. I’ve been having strange dreams for a while now. Most times I don’t remember them but...Whenever I wake up, and see you, my heart hurts. And I get so angry. And I don’t know why.” Dipper stared at the teen, who stared back intently. After what felt like an eternity, the brunet was the first to turn away, expression unreadable.

“I can’t imagine why that is,” His tone was hard and bitter. “You don’t even know me.” He moved away from Bill, fiddling with his already impeccable jacket. “You’ll have to excuse me, I need to go-”

“Avoid me again, right?” The blond replied, and Dipper stilled at his words. “Not tell me what’s going on? Or why some days you hate me, and other days you don’t?” He laughed humorlessly. “I’m hurt, Pine Tree. I open up to you about something that...that actually scares me, expecting answers, and I know you aren’t telling me the truth and I don’t know WHY.” his tone gradually became more distressed and irate. “I don’t know who or what made you so mad, or why i’m like them. But I’m...worried. About what’s going on with me. About the weird shit going on in my head. Am I just insane? Maybe i’m a schizo, and I’m tripping out, right? Something’s just not right in the brain, but I don’t KNOW and you won’t TELL me and I don’t know what to do and no one will talk to me, none of you hardly ACKNOWLEDGE me, what am I supposed to-” He cut himself off when a pair of arms wrapped around him, hugging him tightly. The blond let out a sob, unaware of the fact that he was crying until now.

“Don’t berate yourself so much,” Dipper mumbled, muffled by the teen’s hair. Bill half-heartedly hugged him back, the position making his neck stiff and his back ache but he said nothing. 

If it was making the ache in his chest go away, the physical pains were worth it.

“There is...nothing like that wrong with you. I’m sorry you feel that way, and I can’t say it won’t happen again but...We’re trying. There’s something weird going on and...and Mabel and I don’t know what it is...I’m sorry we don’t pay a lot of attention to you. I was under the impression you’d dislike us hovering over you but...maybe we can start over?” He pulled away from the blond, giving him a tired but genuine smile, one that Bill reciprocated.

“That’d be nice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :^) I think i'm back on track, but no promises just yet. I'm trying to hustle things along, because I think this is only going to be another 10 chapters, max, before this arc finishes and the next begins. I promise a lot of plot will be revealed in the next few chapters, and you'll finally get to see where I'm going with this. Thank you so much for you patience, and as always Kudos and Comments are greatly appreciated~
> 
> Wanna get updates for chapters? see cosplay, my art, or just hit me up? go ahead and do that on my tumblr!:  
> http://judejubecubed.tumblr.com/
> 
> Next Update: March 7th


	16. Everything's Just Gone To Shit

Weeks passed. Bill had begun to develop insomnia, sometimes going out of his way to stay awake until Mabel, Will or Dipper would force him to sleep. Each time the dreams returned, sometimes vivid and fresh in his mind, other times hazy and hard to figure out. He stopped talking to Will about them. He didn’t want his twin to send himself into a panic over it, and knowing Will he would. Instead he and Dipper began to spend more time together, most often talking about nothing in particular, and sometimes the brunet would inquire about his dreams and Bill would explain. He could tell the older male disliked the sound of his dreams, hell he himself disliked it. Every time he woke up an ache would develop in his chest, and he couldn’t understand why. Sometimes it was so bad he’d do everything in his power to avoid the Guardian, and every time Dipper would catch on and give the blond his space. They developed something akin to friendship, maybe even a sibling dynamic, and Bill was glad for it. He loved his twin, but it was nice to talk to someone else about his problems, especially when it came to something like this. Dipper had brought up using a spell to fix it.

“I could suppress the dreams for now, as a temporary solution while we figure out how to find the root of the problem,” the brunet offered, and Bill mulled the idea over in his head.

“I dunno Pine Tree. Wouldn’t that just cause more problems or something? Does it affect me any other way or would it just get rid of the dreams?” He inquired.

“I’d have to look into it more,” Dipper admitted. “But if we try to work out a way to fix it together I think it’ll work. I just need to talk to some of my elders about it. Give it a few more days and we’ll have something ready.” Bill nodded, flashing the brunet a grin.

“Sounds good. Any chance you have a hunch about what’s going on?” Dipper hesitated at that, mulling it over in his head before hesitantly shaking his head.

“No, not yet.” Bill was about to call him out on the blatant lie when the Guardian gave him a sympathetic look. “Alright, maybe faintly, but I...don’t want to voice it. Not if I’m wrong. Just be patient okay?”

“...Alright,” Bill replied glumly, and the two parted ways. “I gotta go anyway, Gideon wants to hang out.”

“Be careful around him, Bill,” Dipper replied, chewing on his lip. “I know Gideon just seems like some kid who knows a few tricks but...He may seem nice, and he can be, but he’s more...manipulative than you think. Just keep an eye open if you’re going too be around him. He knows a lot more than you think.” Bill stared at the brunet, but when he next blinked the brunet was gone. Furrowing his brows at his warning, the blond snagged his bag, journal in tow and trudged into town. He’d been spending a lot of time with Gideon, and while they barely glossed over the journals yet the two of them had finally decided it was time to do a trade-off. Bill was excited, to say the least, but took Dipper’s warning to heart. He didn’t want to get mixed up in anything too bad.

“Cipher!” Bill’s head snapped up when he heard his name, flashing Gideon a quick grin as he approached him.

“Hey there kid, didja miss me?” He teased. Gideon just chortled, and the two made their way to Gideon’s family store. 

“Don’t flatter yourself, boy. I’m just eager to see what your journal holds, is all,” He retorted, and Bill rolled his eyes. 

“Jeez, am I that much of a monster?” He replied sarcastically. “You could at least pretend you like me, at least. Would make this whole thing work a lot smoother.”

“Don’t be silly! Lyin’ ain’t gonna get us anywhere!” The younger of the two replied cheerfully as they settled in the back, Gideon greeting the small handful of customers that were still dawdling in the store. Once they were comfortable, the two swapped books, Bill barely able to contain his excitement and Gideon just looking, well….gleeful.

Almost as if on some imaginary cue, the two opened the journals, both scanning the pages critically. Bill’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“There's so much more magic out there than I thought…” he murmured to himself, excitement growing with every turn of a page. Gideon remained silent, analyzing the book to himself. Bill glanced up when he came across a page, completely inscribed with ciphers. “Hey kid, what's this page all about?” The younger of the two finally glanced up, brows furrowing when he took notice of the page. 

“Oh, I haven't the faintest idea,” he admitted, scrutinizing the page. “A bunch of codes, from the looks of it. Not worth my time to look at really.” With that he returned his gaze down to his own book, ignoring the blond. Bill frowned, before grabbing a pen and a spare napkin and quickly jotting down some of the codes. Hastily he stuffed it in the pockets of his shorts, before passing the journal back to the younger boy. 

“Here, I need mine back, I gotta head home.” This earned him a pleading look, to which he rolled his eyes. “Believe me Gideon. I'll be back soon.”

“Alright then. Don't go bailing on me.” 

“Wouldn't dream of it!”

 

“I’m home!” The blond called out, kicking off his shoes and dumping his bag on the ground as he padded into the living room. Silence. 

“Hello?” Still nothing. He had the house to himself now, it seemed. He frowned. Another boring day at home, he supposed. Humming to himself, he decided to tidy up. He went through the house, picking up garbage and little bits of litter that he could find. Once he was satisfied he padded upstairs, figuring he’d tidy his own room and...read, or something. He didn’t really know. All thoughts of that flew out of his head however, when he noticed the door to Dipper’s door was left open. 

So far the boys and the two adults had come to an unspoken agreement, that rooms were a private thing and that none of them should breach that without permission. Despite knowing that, Bill was overwhelmingly curious. From what Dipper had told him, Guardians didn’t necessarily require sleep, or food really for that matter, and that it was moreso seen as a way to pass time than something that was a necessity. Bill had openly asked what the brunet and his sister could possibly need a room for, and had only been informed that it was a quiet space, where they could think or take time to themselves.

Curiosity won over, and Bill crept into the room, making sure the Guardian wasn’t there. The coast seemed clear, and so Bill relaxed, taking the time to look around. The room itself was fairly bland, no decoration, a nightstand with a lamp and clock, a small single bed, and a desk with a chair tucked in the corner was all that was there to fill it. While the bed looked untouched, the desk was another story. It was a disorganized mess, which took the blond by surprise. Seemed like the Guardian wasn’t as prim and perfect as he tried to look. He grinned to himself as he looked through the scattered papers. Most of it was indecipherable, his writing pretty much like chicken scratch which frustrated the blond. Irritation ate at him as he tried to figure out what kind of information Dipper was jotting down, when he noticed something tucked away beneath the haphazard stack. Tugging on it carefully, he inspected the paper. It was worn, folded unevenly and a different texture from the lined paper strewn about the desk. He bit his lip, taking one last look to make sure he really, REALLY was alone, before opening up the paper.

At first, the blond had no clue what it was he was looking at, the page a mixture of ciphers and codes, most of it scribbled out so that it was unreadable. But what made his blood run cold was what the page was titled. There, in bold black writing, clear as day, was a name. HIS name. Bill Cipher was scrawled out at the top of the page, impossible to miss. He tried to read the rest of the page, but as he did his vision grew hazy, his head feeling like it was exploding with pain, and he nearly fell over, gripping the chair tightly in fear of ending up on the ground, dizziness washing over him as he was flooded with the dreams he’d been having. Not dreams, he realized, memories. It overwhelmed him, and before he could try to fight it off he collapsed to the ground, noticing a figure two figures standing over him.

“Took you long enough,” Something murmured to him, as the other figure knelt down. He vaguely felt someone pick him up, realizing he was being carried and his name was being called. 

Everything went black after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyyy actually managed to update on time this week! next week should upload on time as well, as i'm finished the next chapter as well. TBH this arc is dragging bc i don't really know how I want to finish it, and all my ideas are for the second one ^^;;;;; hope you guys enjoy it regardless! as always, Kudos and Comments are very much appreciated!  
> wanna shoot me a message? check out my art? keep up with updates for WTZG? follow me on tumblr!:  
> http://judejubecubed.tumblr.com/
> 
> Next Update: March 14th


	17. Deconstruction of a Demon

The demon knew it was foolish. And yet he persisted on his quest to attain the very stars he so admired. Of course, the girl was a marvel, shining so vibrantly, like a flame that could never be extinguished, despite best efforts. She was a wonder to behold, her head held high and her embers glowing radiantly. It was marvelous, and he admired it so.

But the boy. Though not as vivid as his sister, he burned with such an intensity that Bill often wondered how he didn't implode, never seeming to die out into a supernova of the destruction and turmoil the demon so loved. 

Instead, the boy thrived, his life shimmering in cautious expectation next to his twin, who flittered through life fearlessly and bold, ever-optimistic as the two grew. They were fine young specimens, and the being enjoyed watching them glitter on through life, their lights never dulling. 

His fatal mistake was trying to be more than just an observer. 

It amused him, when he analyzed his decision later. He realized just how similar he was to Icarus, foolishly believing that constructing his own form of freedom would keep him afloat, too naive to realize he was far too close to the sun. 

He doesn't regret it though. Not at first, when he's nothing more than a passing stranger flitting through the boy’s peripheral, gradually integrating himself into his life. A bump to the shoulder, apologies, an exchange of numbers, and from then on it spiraled into casually direct text messages, whispered late night conversations through the phone, and, eventually, nights spent in each other's company. However he'd made the mistake of making his form too much like his old self, not quite able to bring himself to discard that part of himself, and it was only a matter of time before the truth slipped, and everything came crashing down into a world of anxiety and paranoia, missed calls and ignored texts, the demon growing more and more desperate as time progressed and his precious star dimmed before his eyes. He pleaded with him, bargained, even changed what he could of himself, anything to bring back his light. He promised him knowledge far beyond what the boy could comprehend on his own, the world at his feet, the demon so utterly wrapped up in his constellation that he would move mountains if he was asked. Instead he was turned away, shunned. How could he blame him though? His sapling was right, he was a creature, created from hatred and malice and dishonesty and chaos, he was not meant for something as mundane or plain as love, and the boy was worried that he'd grow hungry for more, never truly satiated and merely toying with him.

But just for a little while, the demon had thought his charred smoking darkness had blossomed into light and feathers, hope and trust and complete devotion bubbling up in his chest, only to transform, fractured beyond recognition and crawling back into his gut in the form of hopelessness, bones crushing beneath the weight of an agony he couldn't put a name too no matter how hard he tried. It hurt in a way that destroyed him. Any hope of redemption, of his light nurturing the demon into something more human, was demolished. Though the creature couldn't blame his star, he'd committed too many atrocities to name, he had hoped. Hoped with every fibre of his existence that maybe, just maybe, his beloved star could save him, salvage what was left of the good that was in him.

 

That hope turned into despair. He had been lured into a trap of the twins’ creation, and he no longer existed in their world. He hadn't been eradicated, not truly, and he'd found himself in one of many different fabrications of reality, and he had contained himself within a vessel, his fury and insanity festering until his very being seethed and roiled in turmoil, sticky and black and staining everything he had ever held onto, every cherished memory tainted with regret and doubt. And so, he’d quietly waited, lying dormant within this vessel. It seemed like a version of himself, from a different timeline, had noticed the irregularity, latching onto this disgusting human version of him and keeping a close eye on him, communicating through his dreamscape. Of course his vessel couldn’t catch on, not at first, and it frustrated him to no end that he had relatively no influence upon this body. However, an unforeseen godsend of sorts made itself useful when he’d found the page about himself, and his vessel finally, FINALLY mentally unraveled. Granted he was still forced to remain in this body, the other’s consciousness more dominant than his own, but it was a step up. 

It was a step closer to returning home, where he belonged. Where he ached to be, though whether it was to reason with his beloved constellation or eradicate him, the demon had no idea. All he knew was that it felt GOOD to have some form of control again. Even if his vessel was currently knocked out. It gave him a wonderful opportunity to answer to his subconscious though. 

“What am I…?” The boy nearly whimpered, and the demon revelled in it.

“Something far more powerful than you could comprehend kid!” He cackled when he could practically taste the fear on him.

“And who are you?”

“I’m you, but stronger,” he informed the human, who just looked distraught.

“I-I can’t… you’re not...Am I even anything besides you?” He asked, and Bill thought over it. 

“I suppose you are, but aren’t in the same breath. Yeah, you’re an individual, but at the end of the day you’re just a different version of me. But you already knew that, didn’t you?” Silence, long and insufferable, before the blond, looking utterly miserable and at a loss, spoke up once more.

“So what do we do…? If everything is pointless…? What’s the use in even going on with life…? I’m not….we’re just…..I’m not even HUMAN.”

“You know what you want to do,” the demon all but purred in reply. “Give in to your instincts. We’re never meant to be more than chaotic beasts of destruction. Why deviate from that? What’s the point in being some goody two-shoes if it’ll never get you anywhere?” The beast nearly jumped for joy when he saw the dejected slump of the teen’s shoulders. HIS shoulders. “That’s it. What’s the world ever done for us? Cast us aside, shunned and mistreated us.”

“That’s...That’s not true,” He protested weakly, and it took every fibre of the demon’s being to not roll his eyes.

“Really? Do I have to expand on that?? You know what happened to me. And what about you? Born into a petty excuse for a family, abused and hated. Your brother doesn’t need you, not anymore. He has Red for that. Take him away and what do you really have?” He let that sink in for a moment, before speaking up again. “That’s right. Nothing. Love is a chemical in the brain that dictates the poor choices you make. Don’t be an idiot. Open your eyes before it’s too late and they eradicate us both. Let me help.” He extended a hand to the boy, watching eagerly as he saw self-doubt and hatred settle on his features.

“.....Can you make a better world..?”

“We, kid. We can.” The teen grasped the demon’s hand, vivid blue flames engulfing them. “We’ll make all the pain go away. It’ll be a better world.”

“We won’t need anyone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :^) mfw i feel like the pacing is too fast but i also just wanna get to the second arc already. holy, can't believe it's almost done though!! hope you guys are enjoying it so far! as always, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated, it always brings a smile to my face to see the love this fic is getting, and i love getting constructive criticism from you guys!
> 
> wanna get the latest updates for WTZG? check out my fanart? send me a message? hit me up on my tumblr, i'm a lonely person!:  
> http://judejubecubed.tumblr.com/
> 
> next update: March 21st


	18. It's Been Fun!

“Shit!” The guardian hissed to himself, swiftly picking Bill up in his arms and growing increasingly alarmed by the way his eyes rolled back into his head. “Come on Bill, what did you do?!” He wanted to yell at the teen, curse at him, scold him, anything to see the blond smirk, roll his eyes, scoff at him, something other than whatever was happening right now. And judging by what the brunet had witnessed, whatever was going to happen, it wasn’t going to be good. 

He’d begun to suspect there was more to the kid than he previously thought when he started discussing his nightmares with him. Dipper’s responsibility as a Guardian for Zero Gravity was to protect the matters of the mind, and what was happening to Bill was entirely Dipper’s responsibility to get to the bottom of. He’d known exactly what was going on once the blond had told him about a particularly vivid dream. After that, it’d snapped into place. It didn’t seem like Bill had grown to become malicious or bitter towards anyone, just stressed out and exhausted. And so the Guardian had deduced that, after some digging around in the space time continuum, in another timeline, the Bill and Dipper of that world had fallen into a chaotic and unmanageable relationship, causing the Dipper there, wrought with paranoia and fear, to turn to the help of the portal his great uncle had made, successfully banishing the demon to an entirely separate timeline. THIS timeline. How the demon had come to be a part of the teen in his arms, the brunet had no clue, figuring it had happened long before they’d met and without the blond’s notice. That in itself was troubling, however it was nothing he couldn’t solve. However what really bothered him was the mention of yet another demon visiting Bill in the dreamscape. Dipper frowned deeply as he carefully laid the blond down on the couch, and began to pace the living room as he waited, either for Mabel to return or the blond to wake up, whichever came first.

Once he’d realized Kill was involved, he realized things were much, MUCH more serious. That meant that Kill, who didn’t even belong to this timeline, had access to more than just his own dimension. Whether the demon directly had the ability to dimension hop, or was only able to through the mindscape, he had no idea, but with juggling more than one powerful entity he’d already decided there was no way in hell he could let a third get away. 

The last time Kill had entered this dimension, Dipper and Mabel had been inexperienced Guardians, only recently being able to visit the town and learn how to look out for the citizens. Neither had come to notice the new face in town, a redhead who’d attempted to keep a low profile. However eventually the younger of the twins had come across the man, and developed something akin to friendship, though it was a rocky one at first. Before long, Dipper had become utterly infatuated with the demon, hungry for knowledge Kill gladly provided him. Eventually however, the demon’s cockiness and arrogance gave away his true intentions, visiting this dimension as the first of many he intended to conquer himself. Dipper had been consumed with guilt when he was nearly successful, as it was his fault. He’d gotten too attached to the redhead, turning a blind eye to a lot of his actions that should have raised flags. Funny, when you look at someone through rose coloured glasses, all the red flags just look like flags.

Once Dipper had come to terms with what had happened, he and Mabel had captured the demon, and with the aid of the other Guardians, they had managed to banish him from this dimension, imprisoning him in a weakened state in his original timeline. Of course, the demon had sworn revenge, like every cliche book or movie with a villain in it, Dipper reflected disdainfully. But, when all had seemed peaceful, Bill and William had shown up, and the second Dipper had laid eyes on the blond he’d known the blond wasn’t human. Once he’d done some digging and found out the truth of what was going on, He’d realized that the teen genuinely had no idea what was going on, and Dipper had managed to relax a bit more. Since then, he could do little more than watch over him, ensure he wasn’t doing anything he shouldn’t be, or that he wasn’t influenced by his own demon. But then of course the damn kid had to go sneaking around in his room! Dipper scowled, exasperated. He’d need to hold a meeting with the guardians, and decide what to do from there.

Dipper’s head snapped up and to the couch when he heard the blond groan and sit up, his head clutched in his hands and his eyes screwed tightly shut in a grimace of pain. 

“Bill?” He murmured quietly, approaching him as if he were an animal that could easily be startled. The blond blinked owlishly, brows furrowing as he stared back at the Guardian. “Are you alright?”

“You hid it from me.” Dipper flinched slightly at the accusing tone, before retaining his stoic and stern attitude. 

“For a good reason. You shouldn’t be snooping.”

“You told me no more secrets. That we’d be honest. We started over.”

“Some things are better left in the dark. I admit I shouldn’t have completely hidden it from you, but I didn’t know what would happen if you found out so I-” He was interrupted by a loud bark of laughter, humourless and dry, coming from the blond.

“You act like you know everything, but you don’t know a damn thing about me! You’re a coward.”

“Bill, don’t-”

“Shut up. Don’t fucking talk to me,” Bill snapped. “You’ve been hiding things about myself to me, you’ve just been pretending to be my friend. You’re looking to get rid of me. I know you are.”

“That’s not true,” Dipper replied vehemently. “I want to help you. I just don’t know how to yet.

“You’re so full of shit,” was all the blond replied with, shaking his head and standing, grabbing his bag. “I’m going to my room.”

“No. You’re not. And I’m afraid that now you know, I’m going to have to take back the journal,” Dipper didn’t miss the way the teen’s grip on the bag tightened, or the nearly manic smile that split across his face.

“Why don’t you make me?”

They stood there, silently staring at each other, before Dipper sighed deeply, striding towards the teen quickly. 

In the blink of an eye and a brilliant flash of blue, the Guardian was on his back, unsure of how he got there or why he was so dazed and disoriented. He blinked rapidly, sitting up dizzily as he watched Bill turn and leave, waving at him over his shoulder. 

“It’s been fun, Pine Tree! But maybe we should stick to being enemies. I don’t think you and I are capable of friendship in any multiverse. It’s a shame really. We could’ve been unstoppable here.” And then he was gone, disappearing out the door. Dipper sat there for a while, gaining his bearings, before he stood once more, dusting himself off with a deep-set scowl. 

“You want to play the hard way?” He muttered to himself, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. “Fine. We’ll do this your way.”

 

Bill began to run. He didn’t know where he was going, just that he needed to be as far away from that house as he could. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, that grin on his face never wavering as he hurdled over a fallen tree and ducked around some brush, clutching his bag close to himself. He looked the same, but he felt completely different, like he was more alive. He could hear what the demon was thinking, could feel his magic in his fingertips, and he knew just how powerful he was. He was going to rewrite this world, make a better one, with his brother by his side. They’d never have to feel hurt or sad ever again! It’d be amazing! The blond laughed again, this time ecstatic as he could almost see the world unravel already. First thing’s first, he’d have to decode what was in the journal, which shouldn’t be a problem as he had the demon’s unending knowledge at his disposal, and find his brother before those stupid Guardians could stop them. 

Finally skidding to a halt, he found himself in a clearing. Immediately he set up a barrier around himself, keeping him hidden from wandering eyes. Kneeling down onto the ground, he opened up the journal, flipping through pages. Grabbing a pen from his bag, he began to decode the ciphers on the pages, amazed with just how much the demon knew. 

We’ve got this in the bag, kid! He could almost feel how ecstatic the demon was, some of it rubbing off on himself.

We’re gonna be at the top of the food chain from now on, like it’s supposed to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wellp!! hooray for more conflict! the fluff and shenanigans are behind us now until the second arc! hope you enjoy this, as always kudos and comments are greatly appreciated, it really makes my day to see all the love this fic gets! no big long spiel in the notes today, i'm super quickly uploading this before work kay bye!
> 
> hit me up on my tumblr if you'd like:  
> https://judejubecubed.tumblr.com/
> 
> Next Update: March 28th


	19. The Game Plan

When Dipper finally managed to completely regain his bearings, he transported himself back to where the Guardians tended to congregate, someplace well hidden from the human eye, and gathered up who he could. Once he was sure they were settled, despite how disgruntled they were at being disturbed, the second Dipper launched into his story on what transpired, they listened grimly, taking in everything that was being told to them. They grew restless, uneasy whispering filling the room as Dipper finished speaking, biting his lip anxiously. He glanced at his sister from across the room, but instead of her usual positive attitude she was stone-faced, wrought with concern and fear.

“How could you let this happen, Dipper?” Pacifica, a slightly stuck up blond Guardian who was worshipped like a god, demanded. “I thought that MAYBE you’d, oh I don’t know, learn a lesson from the last time this happened? Clearly you’re not fit to be a Guardian if you keep letting things like this slip out from behind your back. And why didn’t Mabel notice anything, huh? She’s just as guilty.”

 

“Oh step off, Blondie!” One of Mabel’s guards, A bulky raven knight named Grenda, piped up irritatedly.

 

“당신이 마벨을 다시 모욕하면, 나는 너의 완벽한 뾰족한 코를 망칠거야.” Candy, another of Mabel’s knights, muttered under her breath.

“Guys, guys!” Mabel interjected, hands splayed out defensively. “We shouldn’t be fighting, we should be trying to fix this!”

“Oh, like you guys ‘fixed it’ last time? He’s not going to fall for the same trick twice. He’s cocky, not stupid!” Pacifica quipped back. “Face it, Kill is back, he’s not alone, and you have your brother Dipstick here to blame for it.”

“You’re right.” everyone turned to Dipper, staring at him as he gazed back at Pacifica dejectedly. “I have no idea how to fix this. I don’t even know if I can fix things this time around. I messed up, again, and I’m sorry.” He straightened himself out, clearing his throat a bit. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try. And I can’t do it alone. I’ll need all the help I can get.” There was silence, long and uncomfortable, before finally Stanley, one of the older Guardians, piped up.

“Boy, you sure know how to get yourself into one hell of a mess, hey kid?” He grunted as he stood. “I’ll help ya. I’m surprised the rest of ‘em aren’t tripping over themselves, offerin’ to help protect the town everyone here is in charge of,” he continued, pointedly glaring at Pacifica, who simply huffed, turning away with her arms crossed indignantly. Dipper smiled at him gratefully.

“Thanks Stan, I appreciate it, I really do”

“Don’t mention it, kiddo. And don’t worry about these stick-in-the-muds, they’ll come around too, I’ll make sure of it. You do what you gotta do.”

 

 

 

“Is this really all I need to open up the rift between worlds?” Bill muttered out loud, going over the notes he’d jotted down in the journal. 

‘Yep! Kill’s gone and done most of the work on his end, all you gotta do is get that sword!’

“But he’s bound to have it close at hand all the time, especially now. There’s no way he’d trust it anywhere near me at this point.”

‘You’re right,’ the demon conceded, before Bill heard loud cackling. ‘But I guess that means that twin of yours will actually come in handy now. All you gotta do is get to him before Pine Tree and the rest of those idiots get to him first.’

“And how am I supposed to do that?” The blond asked pensively. “They’re bound to have found him and talked to him by now.”

‘They haven’t, he’s off gallivanting in the forest with Red,’ the demon informed him. Humming to himself, he gathered up his stuff, quickly cramming it into his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

“Where is he?”

‘You don’t even have to ask kid, all the info is right there for you to take in.’ True to his word, all the blond had to do was think about his brother and he knew his exact location.

“How do you have all this information at your disposal?” Bill asked curiously.

‘That’s a story for a different time. Chop chop! Let’s get a move on!’ Bill rolled his eyes, before disappearing with a snap of his fingers, reappearing mere seconds later near where he knew his brother would be. He watched Will say goodbye to Wendy, and the two parted ways. Will hummed to himself, happy and content, when out of nowhere he felt arms wrap around him and pull him into the bushes. He yelped loudly, flailing a bit in panic, before he was shushed.

“Ow! Jeez Will, keep it down will you? It’s just me!” Bill hissed, and the blue-haired boy quieted down, brushing himself off irritatedly.

“Can’t you ever just greet me normally?” He muttered to himself, turning to glare at his brother, who did nothing more than grin back at him.

“Nope! But that’s not important right now. I need you to do something for me.”

“Oh? And what’s that?” Will asked, noticing how hesitant his twin seemed to be. “Bill?”

“You uh...you might not like what it is..” The blond trailed off, and Will rolled his eyes.

“I hardly ever do, but could you just spit it out anyways?”

“...I need you to sneak into Dipper’s room tonight and steal his sword for me.”

“What?!” He hissed back, narrowing his eyes at his twin. “Are you nuts? Why would I do that?!” 

“I just...need it.”

“That doesn't tell me anything, Bill!”

“I know, it's weird and a shitty request but can you please just do it? I'll explain it later I promise.”

“No,” Will interjected, frowning and crossing his arms. “You've done some pretty stupid stuff before, but this is probably the stupidest idea you've ever had. I don't know what you're doing, but I don't like it. If you need it so bad then get it yourself.”

“I can't, Will. I…. Pine Tree and I had a fight. I can't come back tonight. That's why I need you to do it for me.”

“You guys fought? Over what?”

“Nothing important! It’s stupid!” Bill retorted irritatedly. “Listen, will you do it for me or not?”

“Why should I? This seems pretty shady, even for you Bill,” The blue-haired teen replied, playing with the sleeves of his sweater nervously. “I don’t like being dishonest with them…”

‘Tch. Goody Twoshoes,’ Bill could hear the demon mutter crossly to himself. The blond just grinned, extending his hand to his brother.

“I promise, The world’s not gonna end.” That wasn’t entirely the truth, but it wasn’t exactly a lie, either. “We’ll be safe, I swear. Just trust me. Look, I’ll hang around outside after midnight. If you don’t come out within an hour after that, i’ll take the hint, and there’ll be no hard feelings. At least think about it?”

“....Alright,” His twin replied uneasily, before turning to head back to the cabin. “...I’ll see you later, bro-bro...maybe.”

“Yeah yeah, just don’t get into too much trouble while we’re apart~!” The blond sang, waving before turning to wander through the forest aimlessly as he waited. “So,” He said out loud. “What exactly is the purpose of the sword? ‘Cause if I’m making my twin steal it for me it had better be pretty damn important for what we need to do.”

‘That sword is extremely powerful, and not just in the way you’d think it would be,’ The demon explained. ‘It has the ability to cut through a vast many things, including but not limited to, the very fabric of time and space. You can tear holes through space that can literally connect you to countless multiverses, you could go portal hopping if you really wanted to.’

“...That...actually sounds pretty cool. Are we bringing you back to your own universe?” The blond inquired. The demon simply chuckled.

‘All in good time, kid. First thing’s first, there’s another version of us that’s just dying to revisit an old acquaintance here, where’s the harm in reuniting them?’ He could practically see the demon grin brilliantly. ‘Besides, why not have a bit of fun while I’m still here? No harm in wreaking a little havoc, am I right? Then i’ll be out of your hair and you can do whatever your little heart wants to in this dimension. Doesn’t matter to me.’ The blond hummed gleefully, mind filling with ideas on how to recreate the world into his perfect image. He was definitely looking forward to having a bit of fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry this was late ^^;;;; I have no explanation other than I had no idea what to write for this chapter. Anyways, kudos and comments are always greatly appreciated, it makes me happy to see all the love this fic gets! Next update is going to be delayed as I'm spending my weekend unpacking boxes (yay, more moving -.-) So please bear with me! Also, if you're wanting to send me any ideas you'd like for me to potentially add, or things you'd like answered in the second arc, let me know on tumblr or in the comments and i'll do my very best!!
> 
> if you want to catch all the updates for this fic, you wanna check out my art or just message/ask me anything, hit me up on my tumblr:  
> judejubecubed.tumblr.com
> 
> Next Update: Aprill 11th (potentially earlier, we'll see how moving goes)


	20. No.

Will had a million thoughts running through his head as he walked away from his brother. “Why me?” was a prominent one, a question he had asked himself a million times over every time his twin tried to convince him to do something stupid. But this? This was the motherload. This wasn't stealing a couple of candies from a convenience store, or drawing things on the detention teacher's face when he dozed off. This was a dangerous, reckless, horrible idea that Will knew he'd be dragged into, reluctantly or not. He hated that he was such a pushover, so easy to sway to Bill's whims, however he did trust his brother, and regardless of whether or not it was a particularly good idea, he would stick by him, through thick and thin. After all, this was his family, the only person he had in this world, really. He had no idea what he’d do if Bill decided to abandon him.Sure, Mabel and Dipper were great, but they were nothing compared to the bond he and his twin had. However, he really didn’t want to meddle with things he personally thought should never be toyed with. He heaved a sigh as he entered the cabin, kicking off his shoes and brooding to himself. He was distracted, however, when he heard Mabel calling for him from the kitchen. 

“Hey, Will! Just the guy I wanted to see!” She practically shouted, pulling the younger boy into a crushing hug that had him wheezing a bit. 

“I-I am?” He breathed, voice strained slightly. That seemed to bring Mabel to her senses, and she let go of him, giving him a smile that seemed a bit too forced to be genuine. 

“Of course! Oh, is Bill not with you? He should come back soon, it’s not safe to be out for too long on your own.”

“Bill will be okay, he said there was….something out there that interested him.”

“Oh? What could that possibly be? Didn’t he say he’d leave the exploring up to you?”

“I- well, yes but um...I don’t run as fast as he does, and I think he found an injured animal out there, so I think he’s trying to catch it to take care of it,” Will lied, not quite looking the brunette in the eye as he turned his head away. It was then that he caught a glimpse of Dipper, leaning against the doorframe and watching them intensely. “Oh, h-hi Dipper. Is um...Is everything okay?” The teen asked, the brunet nodding in reply.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Bill ran off a little while ago, we just wanted to make sure you two were alright.”

“Oh. Well yeah, we’re fine. He’ll be out late tonight though, he’s hanging out with a um...friend tonight.”

“Oh? Well that’s a shame, I whipped up some lasagna..” Mabel seemed to pout a bit, disheartened, while Dipper merely shook his head. “Dip and I are gonna get some rest early tonight, we’ve got a long day ahead of us, lots of responsibilities and such, so we gotta hit the hay for real today. Oh hey, that rhymed!” She laughed a bit, before getting Will to help set the table. They ate in silence for the most part, occasionally making a comment here or there, before Will gathered the courage to really speak up. 

“S-so, um...how did your guys’ day go? Anything interesting happen today?” At that, the teen noticed the way Dipper scrunched up his face disdainfully, and Mabel’s smile falter for a split second, before it returned to her face tenfold. 

“Not really!”

“Huh? But I thought you said you have a lot of stuff to do, and you didn’t before. Is everything okay?”

“Yep! It’s just that Dippin’sauce and I have kinda slacked a bit on some stuff we need to do when it comes to our duties as guardians, so now we gotta bust our butts to get some extra things taken care of,” Mabel explained, and Will nodded in understanding. 

“Sounds kind of stressful,” he commented. 

“It really is,” Mabel admitted.

“But it’s worth it if it means everything runs the way it should and everyone is safe,” Dipper added in, pushing his plate away. “I’m done, i’m full.”

“But you barely ate anything, you just pushed your food around your plate,” Mabel protested, but fell silent when Dipper shot her a dark look.

“I’m not very hungry,” was all he replied with, before rubbing his face in his hands with a tired expression. “Anyway, I still have a lot of stuff to do before I go to bed, I’m heading up now.”

“Goodnight,” Mabel and Will said in unison, to which Dipper nodded as he stood and trudged up the stairs.

Will and Mabel proceeded to tidy up together in comfortable silence, though Will could tell now that she wasn’t in a good mood. Instead of humming along to some pop tune like she usually did, she remained very quiet, seemingly deep in thought. Once they’d accomplished cleaning the kitchen and dining area, the two parted ways, the brunet giving Will a tight hug and a quick smile before disappearing into her room. Will sighed a bit to himself before climbing up the stairs to his own room, shutting the door quietly behind himself. Quickly changing into a pair of warmer clothes, he decided he’d wait another hour or two before attempting to slip into Dipper’s room. Flopping onto his bed, he curled up with his novel, trying to lose himself in the story to keep his mind off of how nervous he really was about doing what Bill asked him to do. Time seemed to drag on and on, and he found himself straining to hear any noise coming from the Guardian’s room in the hopes of figuring out whether or not he was still awake, but with how loud his own heartbeat was in his ears and the snuffling sound of his Plaidypus it was hard to catch anything. Sighing deeply, he picked up Puddles, nuzzling his face into its fur for comfort. He laughed a bit as he felt the creature nuzzle back into it, excited little grunting noises escaping it every once in a while as its body wriggled in excitement. Will was definitely glad he’d convinced Bill to put up with the animal, it was nice to have someone by your side, even if it couldn’t talk back. Its presence was comforting, in its own way.

However it couldn’t stop the passage of time, and soon enough he deemed it late enough to safely sneak into the Guardian’s room. Picking at his sweater anxiously, he slipped out of his room, making his way to Dipper’s as silently as he could. He tensed when he noticed the brunet at his desk, but sighed in relief when he realized he was slumped against the table, light snores escaping him. He slipped in, giving himself a moment to let his eyes adjust to the dark, before searching the room for the Guardian’s sword. 

“C’mon, where is it..” He muttered to himself, inspecting around the Guardian without jostling him. He jolted when Dipper mumbled under his breath, going stock-still as he moved a bit. Once he was sure the brunet had settled back down, he continued, growing increasingly frustrated. Once he opened up the closet, his face lit up when he saw it peeking out from on the top shelf. Stretching as far as he could go, he swatted at it, cursing as he jostled it, and it fell to the floor with a clatter. Heart pounding, he grabbed it, darting out of the room as quickly and quietly as he could. Once he’d made it back to his own room, he let out a shaky breath he’d been holding in. Snagging his sheets, he tied the blankets together, and trying not to think about how cliche it was, tied one end to the bed post, tossing the other end out of the window after he pried it open. 

Once he made sure the makeshift rope was secure, he attached the sheath of the sword to himself, and proceeded to climb down as carefully as he could. Unfortunately for himself, the end of it didn’t quite reach, leaving about four feet for him to jump to. He let out a grunt as he hit the ground, wincing a bit at the sharp pain in his legs, before jogging to the outskirts of the forest. He had no idea exactly where Bill would meet him, so he took out his flashlight and, turning it on, started his trek through the woods. Surprisingly it didn’t take him very long to bump into his brother, sitting on a tree stump and looking lost in thought. Once he noticed Will’s presence, his demeanor brightened, a broad grin splitting across his face as he hugged his brother tightly. 

“Dude, Will, you did it! I actually thought you were gonna leave me hanging!” The blond confessed. Will gave a small smile, patting his brother’s back in response.

“‘Course I wouldn’t. It’s just you and me against the world, right?” He replied, and he noticed his brother pause for a moment before he gave him a long look.

“Actually, about that,” Bill replied, a bit tentatively. “It doesn’t have to be just you and me anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Will inquired curiously, studying his brother pensively. Bill just smiled wider.

“We’re really not alone! I learned so much, Will! There’s, there’s..Multiverses, countless different timelines of us And with it we'll be able to go anywhere, do anything!! The possibilities are literally endless! We could do so many great things, even alter universes!!” Bill was beaming at him broadly, talking excitedly as Will stared.

“Come on, Will. Let's dominate the multiverse! We could be the Dynamic Duo!” He extended a hand to his brother. “Just trust me!”

Will studied his brother for a long moment, before smiling a bit and taking a step back. 

‘’No.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :^) I have no words really. I give it maybeee one or two, max three chapters before the first arc finishes! Hope you guys like this chapter! as always, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated! It always makes my day to see how much love this fic gets!
> 
> wanna keep updated with WTZG? Just chat with me or check out my art? follow me on Tumblr:  
> http://judejubecubed.tumblr.com/
> 
> Next Update: April 18th


	21. The End  (For Now)

Bill stared at his brother hard, a bit incredulous at Will’s sudden change of heart.   
“Wait...no? Why? Don't you wanna do awesome things together?”

“You wouldn't need me,” the blue-haired teen replied quietly, his grip on the sword tightening as he backed away more. 

“What...What are you talking about? Of course I need you! You're my brother, who else would I want by my side?!” 

“You say that now, but what happens when you get what you want, Bill? You're lying to yourself when you say you need me. You don't, you just want me around so you don't have to feel guilty about your decision.” Bill went silent, before he scowled deeply at his brother. 

“Why do you need to make this so damn complicated? If that’s how you feel then I’ll just do it myself!” Will shook his head once more.

“Bill, this whole idea is bad news. Can’t you see how flawed it is?”

“Whatever happened to you and me, huh? What happened to us being the Dynamic Duo? Or how we’d never leave the other behind? You were so gung-ho about it, obviously, when you stole the stupid sword to begin with. Why are you backing out now?” Bill spat angrily. Will frowned.

“Because….you don’t have to do this. We live a pretty good life here, right?” The blond didn’t reply. “Sure we had a rough start, but...Maybe our family could be Mabel and Dipper? They already live with us, what would be any different about it?”

“That won’t fucking work. You think they’re here with us because they took pity on our situation? They’re here because of me. They’re here to make sure I don’t go all crazy-demon-overlord on them ‘cause apparently that’s what I tend to be in every damn multiverse. And you know what? Maybe I’d prefer being just that. At least then people couldn’t pussyfoot around questions, or avoid me and pretend i’m not there. At least then I could show those stupid fuckers who’s boss.” He stormed over to Will, eyes glowing a brilliant yellow. 

“B-Bill?” Will squeaked timidly, backing away further.

“I’m not gonna let anyone tell me what to do. No one’s gonna take advantage of me, or use me, or hurt me. I was planning to protect you too, but if you’re really on the Guardian’s side, then I guess you’re my enemy too. Some brother you are.” With that, he attempted to wrench the sword from Will’s hands, But Will clung to it tightly, and the two boys struggled with it. 

“Let...go….Will!” The blond growled, shoving his brother hard. Will gasped as he lost his footing, grabbing onto Bill’s shirt, and the two of them tumbled across the ground, both determined not to let go. Thinking quickly, the blond released the sheath, only to grab the handle of the sword and pull it out. He skittered away from Will quickly, inspecting the sword.

‘Just swing it, Kid! It’ll tear a hole in between worlds!’ The demon hissed inside Bill’s mind. Gripping onto it firmly, the blond did just as instructed. Sure enough, Like something out of a comic book, a rip formed in the air, and Bill watched incredulously as brilliant hues of countless colours flittered through the open space. 

“What the..” Will watched with fascination, inching closer to it. Suddenly, the rift rippled, the colours going dull briefly before intensifying. It swelled, and before the twins’ eyes, a man stepped through, casually stretching with a loud groan. His hair was firetruck red, skin dark and smile malicious, teeth sharpened to a point. The very air around him screamed dangerous, and the look he gave the two boys made their skin crawl

“Well, Congrats, kid! Took you forever, but hey! Patience is a virtue!” He grabbed the blond’s hand in a painful grip, shaking it vigorously. “The name’s Kill! Nice to see another version of me isn’t as stupid as I first thought!”

“What kind of a name is Kill..?” Bill mumbled to himself, rubbing his hand gingerly. 

“What is he doing here…? You never said anything about...others coming HERE,” Will whispered nervously, eyes never leaving the redhead.

“Hey there, don’t be so scared of me, kids! I’m just here to finish up some business, tie up some loose ends from the last time I dropped by and was so rudely kicked out, and then I’ll be on my merry way!” Kill informed the two. 

“Unfinished..! Aren’t you-”

“Bill! Will!” The twins whipped around at the sound of their names, to find Mabel and Dipper bursting through the trees, stopping dead at the sight of Kill.

“You….You can’t be here,” Dipper muttered, staring wide-eyed. “We made sure of it!”

“Awww, this is the welcome I get~? I thought my sapling missed me~!” Kill pretended to pout. “Besides, it’s really easy to get through when you leave that stick of yours just lying around.”

“Stick..? My sword. You two stole my sword?!” The brunet glared at the two. 

“Dipper shut up and just get it back,” Mabel snapped, striding towards the three. “We don’t have time to stand around and gawk. Bill, Will, get away from him. That man is very dangerous and you shouldn’t ever get near-”

“Aw, Star I thought you liked me!” The redhead interjected. Waving his hand dismissively, Mabel was flung back, slamming into a tree with a cry by an invisible force. “Besides, my business isn’t with you.” Kill’s eyes landed on Dipper, who stared back. In the flash of an eye the Guardian lunged for his sword, letting out a yelp when he was grabbed by his neck and lifted off the ground. 

Kill tightened his grip on the brunet’s throat, delighting in the choked noises and little shallow gasps for air that came out of his mouth. 

“Damn, didn’t realize how much I missed this~ You always did look your best cowering beneath me. Why don’t we pick up where we left off, hmn~?”

“G-Get away from Dipper!” Mabel snapped, getting up on shaky legs. 

“Hey man, you never said anything about doing this crap,” Bill protested. Kill simply laughed.

“Yeah, but I never said anything about NOT doing anything, right? Besides, I really have missed him a lot. Let’s spend some time together, how’s that sound, little tree~?” The demon purred. With a snap of his fingers, the two of them disappeared in a flash of red. 

“NO!” Mabel shrieked, hands gripping her hair tightly, a pained look on her face. “What did you DO?!”

“What the shit, that guy’s crazy!” Bill muttered to himself. Will stared at him, long and hard, before his face twisted into a look of fury. 

“You IDIOT!” He yelled, shoving at his brother hard. Bill yelped, stumbling back.

“Will-”

“Why?! Why do you always, ALWAYS have to go and shove your nose where it doesn't belong?!”

“Will I didn't mean to-” 

“You never think things through! You jump to conclusions, you're always messing things up!! Why can't you just be normal?! Why do you need to constantly drag me around with you?!” With each question he jabbed his brother in the chest. “Why can't you just be happy with what you've got?!” 

“I don't have anything!!” The blond hollered back, shoving his brother.

“You had ME you dumbass!” Will scowled. “Why am I not good enough for you to just be happy with what you have?!”

“Because you just cower! You don't think for yourself, you're always hiding behind me!” another shove, the boys stumbling around. Will, furious, wound up, punching his brother in the jaw.

“You take that back!”

“Boys!” Mabel raised her voice above the two, approaching them. “This is no time to fight!”

“I wish we'd never been born!” Bill hissed. Will, hurt, retaliated.

“I fucking hate you!” he slammed his hands against his brother. Bill let out a loud yelp, tumbling back, and before anyone could do anything, he fell through the rift, disappearing right in front of them. 

“BILL!!” The blue-haired teen shrieked in horror, attempting to launch himself after his brother. Before he could Mabel scooped him up, holding tightly onto the squirming boy as he fought her. 

“LET ME GO! I NEED TO GET HIM BACK!” 

“You can't Will, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry but you can't,” she told him. Will began to cry, slumping against her as she continued to hold him.

“I didn't mean it..I-I didn't m-mean it! I was just mad! Oh god this is my f-fault-” 

‘’shhhhh...it'll be okay Will..”

“No it's N-not,” he sobbed in reply. “it's not okay..”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Kill, you bastard-!!” Dipper hissed, struggling against the glowing white chains that were keeping him in place. The demon just cackled, smirking viciously at the guardian. 

“What, you don’t like the mindscape kid? That’s funny, you used to love it here! I could make anything you wanted here!” As if to prove a point, he snapped his fingers, and in his palm a delicate crown of flowers formed, the colours popping amidst the drab grey landscape. Dipper scoffed. 

“You’re petty if you think I’m going to fall for that crap again,” He spat, shying away when the redhead approached him. The demon simply grinned and ignored his words, swiping the brunet’s hat to replace it with the flowers. 

“Coriander, Blue Aster, Red Dahlia, and Anemone. Fitting, if I do say so myself.” He straightened himself out. “I don’t expect you to take too kindly to having me around, but If I were you I’d get used to it. You’re gonna be stuck with me for a very, VERY long time, and I truly have missed playing with you.” He gripped his jaw tightly, wrenching up and forcing Dipper to look at him. “Whether you’re a willing participant or not, you and I are going to spend a lot of time together.” Kill cackled at the unease and mistrust that settled itself on the brunet’s face, before shoving him away. 

“They’ll find you,” The guardian muttered, glaring at Kill. “And they’ll make sure you never pose a problem again.”

“Maybe!” He replied jovially, twirling the cap around on his finger in amusement. “But until then I intend to break you until there’s nothing left. Physically, mentally, and emotionally.” His grin broadened. 

 

“That’s a promise, my precious little constellation.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, the first arc comes to a close! Thank you so much to everyone who's stuck with it! I hope you enjoyed it so far! I plan on taking a three week break, and while I have that time, i'll be preparing chapters for the second arc! I've had so much fun writing this! I can't lie, i'm excited for the second part, because that's what all my ideas i've had are for, so please look forward to it! If you have any question,s comments, or feedback, please hit me up on tumblr, @ https://judejubecubed.tumblr.com/
> 
> I appreciate every comment and kudos you guys have given this fic, and I hope you look forward to the second arc starting! ciao for now! <3
> 
> Second Arc Start Date: May 15th, 2017

**Author's Note:**

> Alrighty! so! Stumbled across this absolutely lovely and wonderful AU on tumblr, the link is in the summary. Check out Tanosan's blog, it's phenomenal! anyways, kudos and comments are appreciated as this is my first contribution to the fandom! any spelling errors? let me know! hope you enjoy, I'm not entirely sure how long I'll be making this fic as this is dependent on what gets updated, I have a general idea of how to proceed with the plot but I work full time and it's taken me weeks just to write this ^^;;; If I get a large enough response though, I'd aim for updating at least once a week!


End file.
